On October 21, 2026, the internet is actively discussing a video of Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Russian-speaking bloggers, which took place on October 18. The Prime Minister of Israel accuses Russian structures of spreading anti-Semitism in the West, calls Alexander Dugin a terrible person, and talks about his influence on American right-wingers.
Author: Alexander Khmelnitsky
But the most interesting thing in this story is the question Netanyahu was answering.
He was asked why Israeli state structures do not sufficiently use the Russian language in information campaigns against anti-Semitism. Instead of a specific explanation, the Prime Minister began talking about Russian propagandists.
A rather strange picture emerged: Russia is conducting an information war against Israel, the Prime Minister acknowledges this, and people trying to counter this propaganda in Russian are forced to seek attention from their own state departments.
What Netanyahu was actually asked about
The question was posed by Arina Aminov — an Israeli activist, a repatriate from Ukraine, and the founder of an association of Russian-speaking bloggers engaged in defending Israel in the international information space.
She pointed out that state campaigns are conducted in Spanish, French, and other languages, while Russian, according to her, is left without due attention. She specifically mentioned the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism.
For Israeli readers, let me clarify: this department deals, among other things, with countering anti-Semitism outside of Israel and connections with Jewish communities worldwide. It was not about the absence of Russian-language state websites in general, but about a specific direction of information work.
Netanyahu’s response was unexpected.
He stated that a significant part of anti-Semitism in the West is associated with the activities of Russian structures and Alexander Dugin — a Russian ultra-nationalist ideologue supporting Putin.
According to the Prime Minister, Dugin especially actively influences young American right-wingers.
Then Netanyahu acknowledged the interlocutor’s correctness and mentioned the need to involve artificial intelligence and state institutions.
However, the published fragment does not answer who will fix the situation with Russian-language campaigns and when.
Who is Alexander Dugin and why did Netanyahu mention him?
Alexander Dugin is a Russian ultra-nationalist ideologue, a supporter of Putin and the war against Ukraine, promoting the idea of restoring the Russian empire and opposing the West. He is often called one of the ideologists of the ‘Russian world,’ although the extent of his real influence on the Kremlin remains a matter of debate. For Israel, Dugin is of interest primarily for his anti-Western, anti-Zionist views and support for Russia’s rapprochement with Iran.
Arina Aminov has already proven that the Russian language works for Israel
There is a detail here that makes the conversation even more indicative.
In April 2025, NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency reported on Arina Aminov being awarded the Knesset Chairman’s Prize for Quality of Life.
After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, she united Russian-speaking bloggers to counter anti-Israeli disinformation. According to the information published then, the group had about 30 participants and reported a monthly reach of up to 30 million users.
That is, a person whom the Israeli state awarded for the informational defense of the country is now pointing out to the head of government the shortcomings of state information policy.
And the problem is far from just the attitude towards repatriates.
The Russian language is used by millions of people outside of Russia. Among them are Ukrainians, Israelis, residents of other post-Soviet countries, representatives of Jewish communities, opponents of the Putin regime.
The Russian language is not the property of the Kremlin.
Refusing to work with this audience because of the language’s origin means leaving it to Russian propagandists.
Netanyahu knows about the threat. But what is Israel going to do?
On October 18, presenting a new national security concept, Netanyahu already publicly accused Russia of cooperating with Iran and spreading anti-Semitic propaganda through organized networks of internet accounts.
These statements deserve attention. Russian-Iranian military cooperation directly affects Israel’s security, and Russian informational propaganda has long gone beyond the war against Ukraine.
But accusing Dugin does not yet explain the extent of his real influence. The claim that Russian structures are the main source of Western anti-Semitism also requires evidence.
And it certainly does not answer Arina Aminov’s question.
Israel has Russian-language state resources, including the gov.il portal. Therefore, it would be wrong to talk about the complete exclusion of the Russian language. But the presence of translated pages of state services does not yet mean the presence of a full-fledged strategy to counter disinformation.
What is needed are not general statements, but specific campaigns, specialists, funding, and work with the audience outside of Israel.
Why for Ukraine and Israel this is one problem
For almost five years of full-scale war against Russian aggression, Ukraine has been resisting not only missiles and drones but also Moscow’s informational operations.
Israel faces its own threats, including propaganda from Iran and its affiliated forces.
And here the interests of the two countries intersect.
I, Alexander Khmelnitsky, consider it especially dangerous to substitute when Russian state policy begins to be identified with all Russian-speaking people.
This way, one can accidentally alienate precisely those who are capable of effectively countering the Kremlin.
Netanyahu has the right to accuse Dugin, criticize Russia, and demand the cessation of anti-Semitic campaigns. But the responsibility for the work of Israeli ministries lies with his own government.
Arina Aminov asked a simple practical question.
If Russian structures are indeed using the information space against Israel, why does Israel not use the Russian language as actively as this threat allows?
It is precisely this question that one would like to get an answer to — not from Dugin, but from the Israeli government.