The Israeli ambassador to Moscow highlights the trend of Russians returning home after living in Israel.
Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Simone Halperin has revealed that some Russians who recently moved to Israel are returning to Russia.
In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency on Monday, Halperin explained that while many Russians apply for Israeli citizenship and live in the country temporarily, some eventually decide to leave.
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“Yes, this is happening,” the diplomat said, answering a question. “That is, people apply for citizenship, some come to Israel for a while,” she added.
Halperin also noted that a number of Russian citizens continue to split their time between the two countries, though specific figures are unavailable. “We don’t have statistics, but I know that there are returns to Russia,” she said.
The statement aligns with broader emigration trends from Israel. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 82,700 people left the country last year, while 23,800 Israelis residing abroad returned during the same period.
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Notably, Russia is not the only country witnessing this phenomenon. In November, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that approximately 10,000 Israelis emigrated to Canada this year, amid the ongoing war on Gaza described by many as genocidal.
A total of 7,850 Israelis applied for and received a work visa in 2024 – a figure five times higher than the previous year, the Hebrew paper said. In 2023, 1,585 Israelis were granted work visas in Canada, compared to 1,505 applicants the previous year.
According to the data provided by the Canadian Immigration Ministry, between December 2023 and the end of September 2024, Canada approved 3,425 temporary work visas for Israelis out of 3,705 applications.
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Additionally, according to a report issued by the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research, “relying on data from the CBS, there was a sharp increase of 42% in Israelis opting to live outside Israel’s borders in the months after the current coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power and during its legislative efforts to change the balance of power between the branches of government, with 24,900 leaving compared to 17,520.”
“At the same time the number of Israelis returning after living abroad dropped by 7% relative the the past decade’s average of 12,214 with only 11,300 returning in the same timeframe of 2023,” the report added.
(PC, AJA)
