Putin Awards Lifetime Monthly Pension To Israeli WWII Vets
Image by wikipedia
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 pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
