Video: Andrey Tsaplienko “Russians Help Hamas Terrorists. Who Really Was Behind the Massacre on October 7/’VERY NEAR EAST'”

“Could Russia, Iran’s largest ally, not know about the impending attack? But Putin sent no signals to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. And this is, at the very least, complicity in the death of thousands of people…”
“HAMAS is not destroyed. It remains in power in Gaza.
Like Putin in Russia, it is ready to hold on with its teeth and is not going to give up. A war put on pause suits global players. If someone wants to change the world order again, they just need to strike a match to the powder keg called Gaza.” – quotes from the author in the film.

Andriy Tsaplienko — a well-known Ukrainian war correspondent, writer, and documentarian — worked on assignment in Israel in November.
On November 29, 2025, his new documentary film “VERY CLOSE EAST” premiered on the TSN channel.

Interesting detail: about half of Andriy Tsaplienko’s interlocutors in the film speak to him in Ukrainian — fluently, without an accent. Among the characters are many natives of Ukraine who have long lived in Israel, serve in the army, work in the police, or survived the October 7 attack. Their speech, intonations, and stories create a special, almost familial connection between the tragedies of Israel and Ukraine, which the film highlights very naturally.

The premiere took place at a time when a wave of anti-Semitism is growing in the world, and an information campaign is being conducted against Israel, trying to question the justice of its defensive war. And just at this moment, a film by a Ukrainian journalist appears — a person who knows what terror, hybrid attacks, and propaganda are.

Ukraine and Israel have long been on parallel paths — and this film shows how deeply these parallels intersect today.

How the filmmakers present its meaning

“You definitely haven’t seen anything like this about Israel.
Are the same forces behind the tragedy in Israel and the war in Ukraine?
Why did HAMAS militants in Gaza leave inscriptions in Russian?
How did they manage to break into Israel in the first minutes of the attack?
These questions are answered by the film’s characters.”

“The heroes are Israeli military, police, religious leaders, witnesses, and families of the victims.
We look at each other and, like in a mirror, see similar scars.
We are being imposed a world according to someone else’s script, but there are too many blank spots in it.
The main question is ‘Who benefits from this war?’. The answer is in the film.”

The film’s heroes include:

• Israeli military,
• police officers,
• Jewish religious figures,
• families of the deceased,
• witnesses of the massacre,
• and even those who are called “draft dodgers” in Ukraine.

Tsaplienko shows a mirror: Israel and Ukraine look at each other and see similar scars.

The main question of the film:
“Who benefits from this war?”

What the film is about: all storylines

1. Kibbutzim Be’eri and Nahal Oz — mass killings of civilians

Participants: Petro Stolba, surviving families

Through the stories of kibbutz residents, the viewer sees:

• shootings of people in “safe rooms,”
• arson of houses with people inside,
• murders of children,
• destroyed shelter walls.

This line is commented on by the survivors themselves, among them Petro Stolba, comparing what they saw to Ukrainian Bucha.

2. Nova Festival — destruction of Israeli youth

Participant: Maya Izuchieva

Maya tells:

• how 29 people hid in a small shelter,
• how HAMAS militants shot the shelter in a minute,
• how six survived only by miracle.

The film shows: HAMAS’s goal was the symbolic destruction of Israel’s future.

3. Hadar Miriam Cohen — an observer who was not heard

Participants: Israeli military, Cohen family

18-year-old observer Hadar Miriam Cohen:

• recorded HAMAS activity in advance,
• submitted reports,
• but her warnings were not taken seriously.

Her death is an example of a systemic defense error.

4. HAMAS tactics — a military operation, not a “raid”

Commentator: Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Aryeh Zeiden

Aryeh Zeiden explains:

• militants acted like army units,
• there was artillery preparation,
• drones were used, as in Donbas,
• the assault was built on intelligence data,
• the order to Israeli soldiers “to shelters!” played a cruel role.

5. Russian trace — weapons, language, tactics

Commentator: IDF special group commander Alexey Gorelik

Gorelik notes:

• AK-103/104 rifles — only Russian,
• ATGM “Konkurs,”
• ammunition for Russian systems,
• Russian speech among terrorists.

The level of coincidences excludes randomness.

6. 700 km of HAMAS tunnels — “underground city”

Participants: IDF fighters, sappers

Shown:

• branched network of tunnels,
• underground kitchens, bathrooms, generators,
• tunnels wide enough for transport,
• exits near schools and mosques.

Such a level of engineering is impossible without external help.

7. Iran’s role — geopolitical sponsor of the attack

Participants: Israeli experts, military

The film demonstrates:

• consequences of Iranian missile strikes,
• involvement of IRGC generals in HAMAS preparation,
• interaction of Iran, Hezbollah, and Houthis,
• weapon supply routes through Syria.

8. Russia — political cover for HAMAS

Analysts: Sergey Auslender, Levi Tabachnikov

Shown:

• visits of HAMAS delegations to Moscow (after the massacre),
• HAMAS statements in support of Putin’s position,
• lack of criticism of the massacre from the Kremlin.

Auslender and Tabachnikov explain:
Russia gets the perfect distraction from Ukraine.

9. Israeli society — internal divisions

Participants: Israeli residents, civil activists, religious communities

The film shows how after October 7, the unified picture of Israeli society began to crack. On screen — protests against conscription among ultra-Orthodox, debates around army duties, distrust of leadership, and a painful split between those who demand to continue the war to victory and those ready to accept peace at almost any cost. These lines of tension become an important part of the narrative because they explain why a country that has experienced shock continues to struggle within itself.

10. Maoz Inon — personal tragedy and search for meaning

Maoz Inon — Israeli entrepreneur, public activist. His parents were killed by HAMAS militants in the settlement of Netiv HaAsara on October 7. In the film, he talks about personal loss, the cost of war, and how Israeli society is experiencing tragedy. Against the backdrop of his own pain, he raises questions of reconciliation, the future of the two peoples, and how the country should find a way forward when old models no longer work.

11. Israeli society supports Ukraine — but the government fears Moscow

Commentators: analysts Sergey Auslender and Levi Tabachnikov

The film emphasizes:

Society:

• massively supports Ukraine,
• understands that the enemy is common,
• is not afraid to speak out loud.

Government:

• fears conflict with Russia,
• depends on Russia’s position in Syria,
• inherits “Soviet caution.”

Auslender summarizes:
“Russia is an enemy of Israel, but the government is afraid to admit it.”

Commentary by Anna Zharova (Israeli Friends of Ukraine)

Anna Zharova, founder of the public-volunteer organization “Israeli Friends of Ukraine” emphasizes:

“… the film ‘Very Close East’ was released on the TSN channel. The work of a well-known Ukrainian journalist, war correspondent, TV host, and documentarian Andriy Tsaplienko.
I am incredibly grateful to Andriy for making such a powerful, honest, and painfully truthful film about October 7 and our war. Many acquaintances and friends participated in the filming, making this film personally important to me!

During our conversation, Andriy admitted to me that he was surprised by the unequivocal support for Ukraine in Israel (of course, referring to Israelis, not the government). Watching the film, you immediately understand why this impression was formed. In Israel, they know and understand well who is the root of evil and can draw parallels.

It is especially interesting to watch the film against the backdrop of current discussions about the Alexander Courtyard, when our enemy, the aggressor state of Russia, is practically ready to be given a religious object in the heart of Jerusalem as a gift by the Israeli government. An object that could well become a residence for HAMAS accomplices, murderers, and spies.

In the film, Andriy, together with Israeli military personnel, also talks about another issue: Russia’s role in the tragedy of October 7. By a number of signs, it has a direct connection to this and gains “profit” from it.
These are not loud words, but a conclusion based on facts, intelligence data, and the logic of the hybrid war that the Kremlin is waging against the West, Ukraine, and Israel.

Against the backdrop of destroyed HAMAS headquarters in Lebanon and Syria, considering Russian instructors, propagandists, and coordination channels, the question “could Russia be involved” no longer sounds like an abstraction. It sounds like a reality that needs to be named aloud.

And that is why:
Israel should have long reconsidered, and in fact, ceased diplomatic relations with a state that arms HAMAS, supports Iran, and may be directly involved in October 7.

Watch the film.
It contains many answers. And many important questions that Israel must ask itself.”

Andriy Tsaplienko’s film “Russians help HAMAS terrorists. Who really stood behind the massacre on October 7/”VERY CLOSE EAST”

Why NANews recommends watching this film

Because the film:

• shows parallels between the war in Israel and Ukraine,
• brings the Russian trace out of the shadows,
• reveals HAMAS tactics and Iran’s role,
• provides human stories and expert analysis,
• shows that Israel and Ukraine are in the same war, just on different fronts.

This is one of the most important documentaries about the October 7 attack.
A must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the real picture.