Israeli Citizen Shot Fleeing Ukraine, Drafted to Front Lines

Yevgeny Gorbits, a 42-year-old Israeli citizen, was forcibly conscripted into the Ukrainian army and stationed near the front lines in the Kharkiv region last month. Gorbits had traveled to Ukraine in the summer of 2025 to visit his elderly mother. His conscription followed an incident days earlier where he was shot in the abdomen and arrested while attempting to illegally cross the border into Poland to escape the country. Gorbits, who immigrated to Israel from Ukraine in 2011, believed he had renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and had visited Ukraine twice since the war began without issue. However, Ukrainian authorities refused his departure in August 2025, citing his continued Ukrainian citizenship and thus his obligation to serve due to the state of emergency, which applies to men up to age 60. After over a year of attempting to resolve the issue through lawyers and appeals to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs without success, Gorbits, desperate to return home, attempted to flee, resulting in his injury. His nephew stated Gorbits sounded distressed during calls and that the family has not received official documentation regarding his conscription. The family has re-engaged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance, with his wife expressing fear for his life and requesting Israeli involvement due to his 15 years as an Israeli citizen. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is providing possible consular assistance within the bounds of local law.

This case follows a similar report from a week prior concerning Jonathan Karlinsky, a 49-year-old Breslov Hasid from Beitar Illit. Karlinsky was detained by the Ukrainian army at the Ukraine-Romania border while attempting to return to Israel after visiting Uman for Rosh Hashanah. He is reportedly being held in a detention camp near Odessa and assigned to a military unit in the Kharkiv region based on his civilian profession as a doctor. Karlinsky, a Ukrainian-born Israeli citizen, was informed of his conscription obligation upon document checks at the border. His family's attempts to secure his release were unsuccessful, as he is considered obligated to serve under Ukrainian law. Claims that he was exempt due to having six children were found to be incorrect; he has only one daughter.