“Go home”: Zelensky on Russians in the West — and why this conversation still concerns Israel

In the Ukrainian agenda, a topic has resurfaced that usually isn’t about the front or weapons, but about money, passports, and a comfortable life ‘somewhere out there.’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said firmly in a February 15, 2026 interview: if people are connected to the regime in Moscow but arrange their lives in democratic countries, then sanctions should hit them and their families.

In the Ukrainian retelling, this sounded almost like an ultimatum: ‘Go home.’ But the meaning, if analyzed more calmly, is about closing loopholes for those who simultaneously serve the war and enjoy Western comfort.

What exactly did Zelensky say and to whom was this phrase addressed

Several key accents stand out.

First: it’s not about ‘all Russians,’ but about those who have ties to the Kremlin system but live in the EU and the USA, educate their children there, buy real estate, use the rules of democracies — and at the same time remain part of the environment that wages war against Ukraine.

Second: Zelensky directly linked the topic of families and assets with the fact that sanctions, in his opinion, ‘do not reach’ key sectors. He specifically mentioned the Russian nuclear sphere and ‘Rosatom’ as an example of a direction where, according to him, there are still no ‘full-fledged’ restrictions.

Third: the note indicates that the interview was given to a Western publication (TSN mentions POLITICO) and a specific journalist.

Why does the question immediately touch on Israel and ‘many Russians’

Because in Israel there is indeed a huge Russian-speaking community — and any loud word about ‘Russians abroad’ here is automatically perceived through the local lens: repatriation, war, family stories, differences in views within the same language group.

But language and citizenship are not always the same thing. ‘Russian-speaking’ in Israel is a very broad layer of people from different countries of the former USSR, and for many families in recent years, the word ‘language’ has long not coincided with the word ‘political position.’

Therefore, it is important not to miss the mark: Zelensky’s speech is not about ‘Russian-speaking’ as a phenomenon, but about a specific model of behavior — when people are connected to the war system but prefer to live ‘like in a normal country,’ using the freedoms and rules of those states that condemn this war.

Where is the practical boundary: ‘Russian-speaking’ and ‘sanctions’ are different topics

To honestly answer the question ‘does this concern Israel,’ it must be divided into two levels.

1) At the societal level: the conversation will affect many, but not equally

Any sharp quote from Ukraine will be read in Israel through personal biographies.

In Bat Yam, Ashdod, Haifa, Ramat Gan, and in the center of the country, people have different stories: someone came from Ukraine, someone from Russia, someone from mixed families. Therefore, a political message easily turns into a domestic quarrel ‘in the neighborhood’ — and this is the risk of generalizations that lump everything together.

Here, the framework is more important than emotions: the topic is about connections with the system and assets, not about language as a ‘mark.’

2) At the system level: Israel has long lived in the logic of compliance and risks

And here things begin that can be touched: bank transfers, sources of funds, checks, documents, beneficiaries.

The Israeli position on such topics usually sounds like this: the country does not want to become a convenient route for bypassing Western sanctions. And this is not a slogan — it is the logic of survival in the international financial system.

Hence the reality familiar to many repatriates and businesses: banks ask more questions, check the origin of money, are more cautious about transfers from ‘toxic’ jurisdictions, and sometimes simply refuse to conduct operations if they see a risk.

And in the middle of this conversation, our fork inevitably appears — NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency: how to discuss sanctions and responsibility so as not to slide into collective guilt by language and at the same time not turn a blind eye to schemes, assets, and ‘family’ intermediaries.

So does this concern Israel?

Yes — in the sense that if the West expands the sanctions focus on families, assets, and ‘comfortable life abroad,’ Israel as part of the global financial system will increase checks and caution.

No — in the sense that it is not ‘about all Russians in Israel’ and not about the Russian-speaking community as such. Within Israel, the key filter is not language, but sanctions lists, the origin of funds, beneficiaries, connections, and risks for banks and companies.