Alexander Lutsenko, at The Blogs

Aug 30, 2026, 3:07 PM

The sunflowers of Ilovaisk and the Jews and Israelis who died defending Ukraine

On August 29, Ukraine remembers those who gave their lives defending the country’s independence and territorial integrity. For Israelis, the emotional meaning of such a day needs a little explanation. It is not the Ukrainian equivalent of Yom HaZikaron —...

Aug 29, 2026, 10:03 AM

Five Languages, 50 Poets: The Ukraine Israel Rarely Gets to See

A book of almost 400 pages is being prepared in Haifa. That sentence does not sound particularly dramatic. There are no missiles in it, no diplomatic scandal, no emergency statement from Jerusalem or Kyiv. And perhaps that is exactly why this...

Aug 22, 2026, 7:00 PM

Racism – or Anger at Russia Backing Israel’s Enemies? The Dolev Cohen Scandal

“I Can’t Stand Hearing Russian”: The Dolev Cohen Scandal and the Russia Problem Israel Keeps Compartmentalizing How does it look from Jerusalem? “רוסים. אני לא יכולה לשמוע את השפה” — “Russians. I can’t stand hearing Russian.” A few seconds from a reality-show...

Aug 20, 2026, 10:31 PM

Russia and Israel: When Moscow’s Destruction of Freedom Becomes Israel’s Problem

Israel does not need to adopt Russia's opposition as its own cause. But it does need to understand what kind of state Russia is becoming — and what that means for Iran, Hamas, Russian Jews and Israelis who still...

Aug 18, 2026, 2:09 PM

Yevhen Konovalets returns to Ukraine: Jews who stood beside him in his struggle

On August 18, 2026, Yevhen Konovalets was reburied at Ukraine’s National Military Memorial Cemetery near Kyiv. His remains had been exhumed at Rotterdam’s Crooswijk cemetery on August 11 and returned to Ukraine on August 13, ending an 88-year period...

Aug 12, 2026, 9:09 PM

Ukraine’s 2,000-Hryvnia Note: Ukrainian Poet Stus, a Jewish Prisoner and Israel

Ukraine’s New 2,000-Hryvnia Note: Vasyl Stus, the Jewish Prisoner Who Saved His Poems, and the Israeli Connection. The image was created using AI.

On September 4, 2026, Ukraine will introduce a new 2,000-hryvnia banknote into circulation, worth roughly NIS 130. Its face will bear the portrait of Vasyl Stus — one of the most important Ukrainian poets of the 20th century, a...

Aug 8, 2026, 9:45 AM

Why Breslov Rabbis Are Thanking Ukraine for Keeping Uman Open During the War

On August 7, 2026, an unusual message emerged from one of the oldest circles of the Breslov Hasidic world. Senior rabbis had asked that a letter of gratitude be conveyed to the President of Ukraine and to the Ukrainian...

Aug 6, 2026, 6:59 PM

Kyiv Prison Honors Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, Persecuted by NKVD

A memorial plaque inside Kyiv’s Lukyanivska Detention Center restores the name of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson — and reveals how Jewish life continues to endure in wartime Ukraine. Memorial plaques are usually placed on the walls of homes, universities, synagogues...

Jul 30, 2026, 7:06 PM

Deaths Outside the Data: J7 Overlooks Ukraine’s Jews Under Russian Terror

Casualties Outside Statistics: Why J7 Doesn’t See Ukrainian Jews Under Russian Terror — J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism 2026 Left Ukraine Out. Ukrainian Jews are dying. They are dying under Russian missiles, in destroyed apartment buildings, and on the battlefield. They...

Jul 29, 2026, 8:35 PM

Israel and Ukraine Mark 35 Years of Diplomatic Relations

Israel and Ukraine are preparing to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations at a moment when the history connecting the two countries is becoming inseparable from their present-day security challenges. During a telephone conversation on July 28, 2026, Israeli Foreign...

About Me

Aleksandr Lutsenko is a commentator bridging Israeli and Ukrainian public discourse. He writes on shared history, Jewish life in Ukraine, Ukrainian integration in Israel, and the intersection of memory, identity, and security.

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