Putin Awards Lifetime Monthly Pension To Israeli WWII Vets
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Aiden Pink January 2, 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree Monday that gives lifetime pensions to Israeli veterans of World War II who served in the Soviet armed forces.
Israeli citizens who served in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War will receive 1,000 rubles ($17.30) per month for life, as will underage prisoners of concentration camps, the state-owned TASS news agency reported.
Widows or widowers of war veterans will receive 500 rubles ($8.68) per month, as will adult concentration camp survivors.
Around 10,000 veterans of World War II live in Israel, according to the country’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption.
Putin’s declaration was announced the same day that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone and agreed to meet “soon” to discuss regional issues. Russia is a supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is also propped up by Iran. Netanyahu has told Putin that Israel will not accept a buildup of Iranian forces on its border.
The two countries have worked together to ensure that their two armed forces don’t attack each other when engaging in Syria.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
