- February 18, 2026
- 12:02 pm
- Israel
A political scandal erupted in Netanya around the speech of Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin. The city administration initially officially announced the cancellation of the event at the municipal planetarium, but later it turned out that the meeting still took place β in the same place and with almost a full house.
The story quickly went beyond a local incident. It’s not just about a lecture at the “Planetania,” but about a fundamental question: is it permissible to provide a public platform to a person who publicly supported Putin and visited territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia.
Who is Yurchikhin and why did the protest arise
Support for Putin and visits to occupied territories
Fyodor Yurchikhin is a former cosmonaut who spent more than 670 days in space and made nine spacewalks. However, in 2024, during Russia’s war against Ukraine, he became one of Putin’s “trusted representatives” in the presidential elections.
In addition, Yurchikhin visited the southern territories of Ukraine, which Russia declared “annexed,” and participated in public events on these lands. Israel, as is known, does not recognize the Russian annexation of Ukrainian regions.
It was these facts that caused public outrage after information about his invitation to the municipal planetarium in Netanya appeared.
Public pressure and the position of the Ukrainian embassy
Civil activists supporting Ukraine sent appeals to the mayor’s office demanding the cancellation of the event. Among them is Anna Zharova, co-founder of the organization “Israeli Friends of Ukraine.”
According to her, providing a stage to an official supporter of Putin seems unacceptable against the backdrop of war and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
The Ukrainian embassy in Israel also sent an official letter to the mayor of Netanya Avi Salama. Ambassador Yevgeny Korniychuk emphasized that Yurchikhin is a public representative of the Russian regime and visited temporarily occupied territories in violation of international law.
The day after journalists’ inquiries, the municipality reported: “A decision has been made to cancel the event.” Similar information was conveyed to the Ukrainian side.
Cancellation or not: what really happened
Publications in Telegram and data from Russian media
Despite the official statement about the cancellation, it turned out in the evening of February 17, 2026, that the meeting still took place. A pro-Kremlin Telegram channel published photos and videos from the planetarium hall, noting that the event took place “in a warm atmosphere” with a full house.
The Russian agency TASS also reported that “Israeli schoolchildren, students of the school at the Russian embassy, and residents of Netanya” attended the lecture.
The municipality later clarified that “the public event was canceled,” but a “closed meeting for a limited number of invitees” took place. Judging by the published footage, the audience seemed significantly wider.
Reputational issue for local authorities
Anna Zharova stated that the situation raises questions about who exactly makes decisions in the city. The Ukrainian ambassador also expressed bewilderment: after the official notification of the cancellation, the event still took place.
The scandal went beyond a single municipal episode. It affects Israel’s relations with Ukraine, the internal public consensus on Russian aggression, and the permissibility of cooperation with public supporters of the Kremlin.
As emphasized by NANews β Israel News | Nikk.Agency, such cases become an indicator of how clearly Israeli municipalities draw the line between cultural exchange and political legitimization of figures associated with a regime waging war.
Context: a recurring story
Interestingly, Yurchikhin already visited Netanya in 2023. At that time, the official part of the visit was also canceled under public pressure, but an alternative meeting with students of one of the schools took place.
The repetition of the scenario increases reputational risks for the municipality. In conditions of regional instability and the ongoing war of Russia against Ukraine, any such decisions are perceived not as neutral, but as politically colored.
The main question now is whether the matter will be limited to clarifications about the “format of the meeting” or will lead to stricter internal procedures for approving such events in the future.
