KYIV, Oct 8 - The Kremlin aims to exploit Hamas' attack on Israel to divert Western support and attention away from Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported in its daily assessment on Oct. 7.

Following Hamas' large-scale attacks on Israeli territory on Oct. 7, Russian voices amplified messages blaming Western countries for neglecting conflicts in the Middle East in favor of supporting Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said the extremist group Hamas' attack on Israel will aid Russia in its war against Ukraine as it draws away attention from the conflict, he said on Polish television.

"This certainly helps Russia and Russian aggression against Ukraine, it distracts the world's attention," he said.

In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Russian Security
Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev claimed that the U.S. and Western allies should have been focused on “Palestinian-Israeli settlement” rather than providing Ukraine with military aid, Yahoo News reported.

As part of these information operations, pro-Russian military bloggers have also largely focused on the Hamas attacks in Israel, actively promoting Kremlin narratives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his first public statement after the attack, saying, "Citizens of Israel, we are at war. And we will win."

President Volodmyry Zelensky denounced Hamas' offensive, writing on Telegram, "Whoever uses terror is a criminal against the whole world. Whoever sponsors terrorism is a criminal against the whole world."

According to ISW, Russian narratives surrounding the Hamas attacks are aimed at influencing Western audiences. Their objectives include driving a wedge in military support for Ukraine and attempting to demoralize Ukrainian society by claiming Ukraine will lose support from Western allies.

Earlier this week, Russia launched its single deadliest attack against Ukrainian civilians this year, killing 52 people and earning international condemnation.

Politically, Israel has largely refrained from explicitly backing a side in Russia's war on Ukraine, and has thus far not provided any significant military aid to Ukraine.

Israel has complex relations with Russia but has long been enemies with Iran, a shared adversary of Ukraine. (yn/ez)