The equipment will also assist Ukraine in the identification and exposure of mass graves.
Tel Aviv, April 28 - Months of pressure from Kiev and from other diplomatic and activist sources have persuaded the Ministry of Defense of the Jewish state to provide more than medical and humanitarian assistance in the face of a Russian invasion, leading to a decision today to supply vehicles directly to Vlodymyr Zelenskiy's forces for purposes of dragging away untold quantities of Russian equipment that the latter left behind as they fled or deserted the campaign.
Minister of Defense Benny Gantz announced Thursday that Israel will begin shipping agricultural and construction vehicles with towing capacity to Ukraine, to help Kiev manage the hundreds - perhaps thousands - of tanks, trucks, anti-aircraft vehicles, artillery pieces, infantry carriers, and other heavy equipment that the Russian army has left languishing across the eastern and northern sections of the country following a disastrous failure to take or hold the parts of Ukraine necessary to seize effective control or maintain a sustainable military occupation.
"We have always understood the position of our Ukrainian friends, who called for robust direct assistance," acknowledged Gantz at a press conference this morning. "The sensitivity of the issue for Israel, with Russia exercising control of Syrian airspace, where we often need to operate to interdict Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah, has made it difficult for us to provide more than humanitarian aid. We operate the only field hospital in Ukraine, and have taken thousands of refugees, yet for some reason attract criticism that it does not suffice, even as we do more than any other nation."
"But circumstances have shifted," Gantz continued. "Ukraine no longer needs fighting equipment from us; instead, given our robust construction sector, we have at our disposal numerous surplus tractors and construction vehicles that can tow Russian tanks off the field and into the repair and storage facilities across Ukraine. Such non-combat assistance allows us to thread the diplomatic needle of assistance to Ukraine in its self-defense while avoiding direct antagonization of Putin, since Israeli weapons are not brought to bear against Russia." Analysts also noted that the digging equipment, in particular, will assist Ukraine in the identification and exposure of mass graves where Russian forces perpetrated mass execution of civilians in the areas they entered since the invasion began in February.
Progressive activists called for a boycott of such construction equipment manufacturers for supplying Israel with a way to look good and for facilitating continued focus on something other than alleged Israel-induced Palestinian suffering.