ByARIELLA ROITMAN

The number of immigrants from countries in the former Soviet Union in 2025 is at its lowest since 2020, the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee reported following a meeting on Monday. 

Member of the Knesset's New Hope Party Ze'ev Elkin said during the gathering that Israel expects "an additional significant drop of about 50% in the number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union countries." 

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The meeting focused on immigration from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional organization formed after the Soviet Union's collapse.

Committee Chair Gilad Kariv criticized the government for the discussion, accusing it of focusing on "restricting immigration from the Commonwealth of Independent States and closing the gates to immigration from Ethiopia," and calling it an unacceptable, anti-Zionist policy.

"We need to wake up and intensify immigration trends from these countries so that we see renewed momentum," he urged.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives Immigration Minister, Zeev Elkin, his Immigration certificate during the event marking the 25th anniversary of the great Russian Aliya, immigration, from the former Soviet Union to Israel, at the Jerusalem Convention Center, on December 24, 2015.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives Immigration Minister, Zeev Elkin, his Immigration certificate during the event marking the 25th anniversary of the great Russian Aliya, immigration, from the former Soviet Union to Israel, at the Jerusalem Convention Center, on December 24, 2015. (credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)

"The policy of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration is to encourage immigration from Western countries, and our role as a committee is to ensure that encouraging immigration from the West does not come at the expense of immigration from Russia and Ukraine."

"We are greatly blessed by immigration from Russia and Ukraine, and must do everything to absorb them in the best possible way. In addition, the State of Israel has closed the gates of immigration to Ethiopian Jews seeking to come to Israel. As chair of the committee, I am not prepared to accept the neglect of immigration to Israel from Russia, Ukraine, and Ethiopia. All streams of immigration contribute significantly to the future of the State of Israel," he stated. 

Elkin attributed the lack of long visa queues for Russians and Ukrainians to both "the proper and efficient organization by Nativ," the Jewish Agency's branch for immigrant IDF soldiers, and a decline in demand for immigration from these countries.

Nativ has resumed operations in Ukraine, despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Kariv stated that about half as many immigrants from former CIS countries arrived in Israel in 2024 as in 2025.

"Over the years, immigration from former CIS countries has occurred in waves," said Elkin. In Ukraine, men of conscription age (up to age 60) are prohibited from leaving the country, which affects the immigration of families to Israel from that country."

He claimed that Israel’s geopolitical situation also impacts immigration to Israel.

Declining numbers 'not surprising'

Knesset member Vladimir Beliak argued that the declining numbers are not surprising, considering that "for political and electoral reasons, the Israeli government has labeled immigration from Russia and Ukraine as undesirable."

"The government’s policy must change, as it contradicts the Zionist ethos," he said.

Oded Forer, a member of Yisrael Beiteinu, agreed with Beliak, calling the decline in immigration "clear and expected."

"It is possible and necessary to promote incentives for immigration from various places around the world, but not at the expense of immigration from Russia and Ukraine," he said. "It is a disgrace and a shame that the Israeli government chooses to ignore the low numbers of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine.”