Former Soviet Union

New Russian space launch vehicle undergoing final tests, top official says

Plans call for the new two-stage rocket, capable of placing payloads of up to 17 metric tonnes in orbit, to be used in place of Zenit rockets.

|ByREUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster with a Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan March 22, 2026.
Yedael Stepak is pictured above with his son Eran beside a chessboard.

Miracle in Sinaia: Israeli underdogs break Soviet chess dominance in 1965

In 1965, a group of Israeli amateurs shocked the Soviet chess elite, securing a moral victory in the Cold War arena. The "Miracle in Sinaia" remains a powerful symbol of Israeli resilience.

|ByITAY GODER
A Soviet submarine.

Radiation still seeping from Soviet‑era titanium nuclear attack sub

Monitoring teams report elevated radiation levels in surrounding waters near the wreck site.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
People pay their last respects to Georgia's late Patriarch Ilia II as his remains are carried to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia March 18, 2026.

Ilia II, Georgian Church leader who shaped national identity, dies at 93

Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, died on Tuesday after being hospitalized, said senior cleric Metropolitan Shio.

|ByREUTERS

Diaspora Week: Questions to ask about Jews from the former Soviet Union - opinion

This complex migration picture has presented the state of Israel, European and American Jewry, as well as regional and international Jewish organizations with complex questions.

MARCH 23, 2023ByHAIM BEN YAKOV
ALIYAH AND INTEGRATION Minister Ofir Sofer takes over from Pnina Tamano-Shata at a handover ceremony at the ministry, in Jerusalem, on January 1. ‘Is Israel ready to accept new waves of olim?’

2023 sees 434% increase in aliyah from the former Soviet Union - Jewish Agency

This stark increase is accompanied by a decrease in aliyah from western countries.

MARCH 14, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
UKRAINIAN OLIM arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport last month.

Purim 1953 in the USSR: When Joseph Stalin had his fatal stroke

Joseph Stalin had a stroke and collapsed in his dacha on Purim, March 1, 1953, possibly assisted by someone in his inner circle. He died four days later.

MARCH 11, 2023ByLARRY PFEFFER
A photograph of Stalin taken in 1937.

Russia replacing armor losses with 1960s Soviet tanks -UK intel

Russian tank divisions are being provided with old T-62 main battle tanks, including units in the 1st Guards Tank Army, which the UK described as supposedly being "Russia's premier tank force."

MARCH 6, 2023ByMICHAEL STARR
A tank of pro-Russian troops drives along a road near burnt-out residential buildings in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 5, 2022.

Grapevine February 22, 2023: A matter of timing

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

FEBRUARY 22, 2023ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Irwin Cotler, Canada’s new Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

Aliyah from Russia still high: More than 5,000 immigrants in January

The number of immigrants from Russia isn't coming down - in fact, this January saw the second most immigrants in a month since the war broke out.

FEBRUARY 21, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
New immigrants from USA and Canada arrive on a special " Aliyah Flight 2016" on behalf of Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, at Ben Gurion airport in central Israel on August 17, 2016,

The hidden aliyah crisis

For everyone who cares about this country and recognizes how vital immigration is to its future, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and do our part to tackle the aliyah crisis.

FEBRUARY 11, 2023ByMICHAEL FREUND
NEW ‘OLIM’ from North America arrive on an ‘aliyah flight’ arranged by Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Man arrested in shooting at San Francisco Jewish center, charged with drawing imitation firearm

A 51-year-old man, with antisemitic social media posts, has been arrested in relation to the incident.

FEBRUARY 7, 2023ByPHILISSA CRAMER/JTA
FBI agents work outside the home of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi where her husband Paul Pelosi was violently assaulted after a break-in at their house, according to a statement from her office, in San Francisco, California, US, October 28, 2022.

Israeli aliyah panel head slams minister's push to favor US, French olim

Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer on prioritizing immigrants to Israel from France and the US: "Such discrimination by origin has never been done."

FEBRUARY 5, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
Oded Forer at the Presidential Meeting

Israel wants more Western immigrants - aliyah minister

IMMIGRATION AFFAIRS: Israeli Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer plans to put an emphasis on immigrants from the US and France.

FEBRUARY 3, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
ALIYAH AND INTEGRATION Minister Ofir Sofer: There is an assumption that olim from financially established countries don’t need any support or assistance. That isn’t true.