Rabbi leader in Kiev: Jews will take up arms against Putin

Rabbi Stambler warned of possible war: “It’s a threat, it’s a threat to democracy, it’s a threat to everyone. War is not good for any side.

"We pray, we try and do whatever we can to keep calm, in every way we can.

"This is the time for all people to try and back Ukraine. The world has to step up for Ukraine because it’s not just Ukraine, it’s the world.”

Raised in the US, Rabbi Stambler came to Ukraine decades ago aged 19 as an emissary of the Lubavitch movement and has never left.

He said Jews’ “long relationship” with Ukraine had been difficult, but had improved in recent years.

“Jews are here, we have very good years with our Ukrainian neighbours, we are part of the population.

“But the ground is soaked with blood here, Jewish blood. We feel part of the population so it’s very difficult. But it’s important because you can’t build anything without learning your history.”

Recalling how Russia aggression had united the country in 2014, he said: “It’s Putin that did it, after they took the Crimea and started the war, people got very, very connected to their country. It already happened, we’re at war for eight years.”