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As of June 18 from Iran 85 Ukrainian citizens and 10 foreigners who have a permanent residence permit in Ukraine expressed a desire to leave.

The Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Embassy of Ukraine in Iran, are working on possible evacuation routes, in particular by separate flights or in coordination with international partners.

The lists of interested parties are also being clarified and organizational issues are being resolved.

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How many Ukrainians are in Iran and whether the exact data is known, read our article.

How many Ukrainians live in Iran

Population of Iran in 2025 is 92,417,681 people. This is 0.67% more than in 2024 and generally corresponds to the trend of steady annual population growth of approximately 0.9%.

Iran ranks 17th in the world in terms of population.

The country is multiethnic: the main ethnic groups include Persians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Arabs, Balochs and Turkmens.

As of 2025, the number of net migrants is 116,786.

The majority of the population – about 73% – lives in cities. The average age of Iranian residents is 34 years.

It is not known exactly how many Ukrainians live in Iran , but there are not many. Most Ukrainians were concentrated in the city of Bushehr, where up to 500 people worked on the construction of a nuclear power plant.

At the moment, there is no exact information about the number of Ukrainians who are in Iran.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is working to find out information about our citizens who are in Iran. He said this in an evening address on June 15.

Why are there so few Ukrainians in Iran?

Iran is a country with an authoritarian system of governance, strict control over the entry and stay of foreigners. It is difficult for Ukrainians to obtain long-term visas or residence permits.

Unlike European countries, Canada or the United States, Iran has never been a popular destination for Ukrainian migration.

There is no established Ukrainian community or cultural infrastructure there.

Foreigners in Iran have limited access to formal employment. Iran is constantly under international sanctions, making life difficult for foreigners.

Diplomatic risks, regional tensions and potential conflicts also discourage potential migrants.

Israel – a country located in western Asia, on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and on the northern coast of the Red Sea. Its capital is Jerusalem.

The territory of the state covers an area of 21,937 km², of which 21,640 km² is land.

Read our article to find out which countries Israel borders.

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Israel: Who does it border?

In May 1948, the establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed, but its clear borders were not established at that time.

In June 1967, Israel launched the Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria, capturing the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli settlements began to appear on the latter.

One of Israel's first officially recognized land borders was established in 1979, when Egypt became the first Arab state to recognize Israel.

As part of the peace agreement, a common border was defined. In 1994, Jordan became the second Arab country to recognize Israel, and at the same time, a common eastern border was legally formalized.

However, a peace agreement with Lebanon has not yet been signed. The actual northern border remains the armistice line established in 1949. The situation with Syria is more complicated – the border issue has not yet been resolved, in particular due to the disputed Golan Heights.

As for the Gaza Strip, since the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers in 2005, Israel has a de facto border with the territory, but it is not legally defined. Military conflicts between Gaza and Israel flare up periodically.

The final status of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem must be resolved through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian side. However, despite decades of diplomatic efforts, no agreement on borders has been reached.

Infographic: ICTV Facts

Who borders Israel:

• Lebanon – in the north;
• Syria – in the northeast;
• Jordan is to the east;
• Egypt is in the southwest.

Also:

• Gaza Strip – in the west (under the control of the Hamas movement);
• The West Bank of the Jordan River is in the east (partially under the control of the Palestinian Authority).

Iran continues to attack Israel. On Friday morning, June 20, Iran launched a missile attack on the Israeli city of Beersheba. The area where Microsoft offices and residential buildings are located was hit. This happened the day after the Soroka hospital in the same city was shelled.

How many Ukrainians are in Israel and is the exact number known? Read our article.

Is it known how many Ukrainians there are in Israel?

According to the Foreign Ministry, as a result of Iran's massive missile attack in Israel on June 14 Five Ukrainian citizens died, including three children.

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It is currently unknown exactly how many Ukrainian citizens are in Israel.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is finding out information about our citizens who are in Israel and Iran. He stated this in his evening address on June 15.

— I am waiting for the report. Unfortunately, there are Ukrainian casualties in Israel — according to preliminary data, five Ukrainian citizens, including three children. There are other civilian casualties. My condolences to all the relatives and friends. We hope that the threat will pass as soon as possible, — Zelensky said. Zelensky said.

In Israel The body of Maria Pashkurova, a 30-year-old Ukrainian citizen who had come to the country to treat her daughter for leukemia, was found.

Her death was reported four days after Iran launched a missile strike on a high-rise building in Bat Yam, according to Israeli officials.

How many Ukrainians in Israel sought temporary protection

According to the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, Yevgeny Korniychuk, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainians who sought temporary protection in Israel fluctuated between 20,000 and 25,000 people.

However, after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, this figure decreased. Since then, there have been approximately 12-13 thousand Ukrainian citizens in the country.

As Korniychuk noted, the majority of Ukrainians in Israel are employed and have relatives or close acquaintances with whom they maintain contact.

He noted that people do not come here without need, realizing that the conditions for temporary protection in European countries are much better.

He also recalled that Israel does not grant Ukrainians official refugee status and does not provide them with housing or financial assistance.

The intensity of Russian drone attacks in Ukraine may decrease due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East.

This was stated by Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Intelligence Centre of the Estonian Armed Forces.

The intensity of Russian drone attacks in Ukraine may decrease

“We know that Israel could have struck a drone manufacturing plant in Isfahan, Iran, and the Ukrainians have repeatedly attacked a plant in Yelabuga (Tatarstan), where drones are also produced for the Russian army,” the colonel said.

According to Kiviselga, the strikes on factories in Iran and Russia could lead to a decrease in Russian UAV activity in the near future. However, Russia is planning further measures to support and increase drone production.

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Kiviselg drew attention to the nature of the Russian Federation's attacks using cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. According to the military man, a clear strategy is evident in these actions.

According to Estonian intelligence observations, Russia usually attacks Ukraine with 60-70 drones over a period of 4-5 days. During this time, the Russian Federation accumulates resources. Then a larger attack occurs with the use of approximately 350-450 drones.

These figures show the approximate weekly production volume of Geranium drones in Russia. Kiviselg emphasized that similar logic can be seen in the use of cruise and ballistic missiles.

The Estonian military officer also noted that Russia is increasingly resorting to dispersed attacks on various targets, giving preference to strikes not only at military infrastructure, but also at civilian facilities and residential areas.

On Friday, June 20, another prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia. Most of the defenders had been in Russian captivity for more than two years.

One of the defenders said that while in captivity he managed to save his socks from the days of the defense of Azovstal in Mariupol.

Soldier keeps socks with GPSU inscription in captivity

During a conversation with the liberated soldiers, one of the soldiers said that he had kept the socks with the inscription GPSU, which he had worn during the defense of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol in 2022.

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“I don't know how I saved it, but these socks are from Azovstal. I took them when I was leaving there. They all survived. I thought they would take them, but…” he said.

When asked whether he wore them in captivity, the man replied:

– No. I was waiting to get out of there. At least something should have remained.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that during the prisoner exchange on June 20, it was possible to return home the defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions.

We are talking about soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the Border Service.

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska reached the semi-finals of the WTA 250 grass court tournament in Nottingham (Great Britain).

In two sets, she defeated Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who was a US Open finalist in 2021, with a score of 6:3, 7:6 (8:6).

Yastremska advances to Nottingham semifinals

For Dayana, this was the third face-to-face meeting with Leyla; the previous two ended in defeat for the Ukrainian.

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The tennis players spent 1 hour and 49 minutes on the court, during which Yastremska served five aces, while Fernandez served one. Dayana also had four double faults against the Canadian's one.

At the start of the first set, Yastremska made a 3:0 run. In the seventh game, the Ukrainian saved three break points, and in the ninth, she closed the set with a score of 6:3.

In the second set, the tennis players exchanged breaks in the ninth and tenth games, and the winner was determined by a tie-break, where Dayana was stronger.

In the semi-finals, Yastremska will play against the winner of the match between Poland's Magda Linett and Denmark's Clara Tauson.

For Dayana, this is the first time in her career that she has reached the semifinals of a WTA grass tournament. Until now, the tennis player has not advanced past the quarterfinals in grass-court tournaments.

According to According to the rules for admission to bachelor's programs in 2025, applicants must pass the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT).

For selection on a competitive basis, NMT scores in four subjects are taken into account: three compulsory and one chosen by the applicant. This may be biology, physics, chemistry, geography, Ukrainian literature, foreign languages.

NMT coefficients are non-negative values that are applied to grades in testing subjects and the creative competition (for some specialties) when calculating the competitive score of applicants for admission to universities in 2025.

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The purpose of using the NMT 2025 coefficients is to give greater weight to the results of testing and the creative competition when entering a specialty corresponding to the profile of these subjects.

NMT weighting coefficient: how to calculate the competitive score

For competitive selection for training to obtain a bachelor's degree (as well as a master's degree in medicine, pharmacy or veterinary science) based on the PZSO and NRK5, the following points are taken into account:

• results of the 2025 or 2024 NMT in four competitive subjects;
• results of the 2023 or 2022 NMT in three competitive subjects;
• a point for the creative competition for specialties that need it (Appendix 1);
• results of the matriculation exam for Polish citizens (Polish language, mathematics and two additional subjects of choice: history, foreign language, biology, physics and astronomy or chemistry);
• entrance examination scores for foreigners in accordance with the Admission Rules.

The weighting factors will differ from each other depending on the specialty. Because their main purpose is to highlight certain subjects that are more important for a specific profession. If a person enters the medical faculty, then for biology or chemistry the coefficient will be significantly higher than if the applicant were to enter the foreign language faculty.

The values of these coefficients can be found at the educational institutions where applicants are applying.

According to By order of the Ministry of Education and Science, for competitive selection for training to obtain a bachelor's degree (master's degree in medicine, pharmaceutical or veterinary science) on the basis of the PZSO and NRK5 based on the results of the NMT of 2024 or 2025, the matural exam, as well as in cases provided for by the Procedure for holding a creative competition according to the following formula:

Competitive score (CB) = (K1 × P1 + K2 × P2 + K3 × P3 + K4 × P4 + CT × TK) / (K1 + K2 + K3 + K4max + CT) + OU,

How is the competitive score calculated for admission to a bachelor's degree in 2025:

• The grades in four NMT subjects (Ukrainian language, mathematics, history of Ukraine and one elective subject) are multiplied by the corresponding weighting coefficients for your specialty. In the formula, P1, P2, P3 and P4 are the grades in the corresponding subjects, and K with indices are the corresponding coefficients.
• Creative competition (CC): the creative competition point is added to the previous amount, multiplied by the weighting coefficient.
• OU – if there are preparatory courses, then a point for successful completion of the preparatory courses of the ZVO (up to 10 points) is added to the sum if you are entering a specialty from the list that requires special support.
• K4max maximum is the maximum value of the subject coefficient for the elective subject for the corresponding specialty.
• Next, the entire amount is divided by the sum of the weighting factors of all components taken into account.

For competitive selection for training to obtain a bachelor's degree (as well as a master's degree in medicine, pharmacy or veterinary science) based on the PZSO and NRK5 based on the results of the 2024 NMT, with a creative competition, the following formula is used:

(KB) = (K1 × P1 + K2 × P2 + K3 × P3 + K4 × P4 + KT × TK) / (K1 + K2 + K3 + K4 + KT) + OU

Where:

• P1, P2, P3, P4 — points for the first, second, third and fourth subjects of the 2024 NMT;
• TC — assessment of the creative competition (if necessary, in accordance with the Procedure);
• OU – an additional point (0-10) for successful completion of preparatory courses in the year of admission for specialties included in the List of specialties with special support (Appendix 6);
• K1, K2, K3, K4 — subject coefficients for each specialty;
• CT – creative competition evaluation coefficient (if provided).
• Detailed values of the coefficients are given in Appendix 7 to Order.

Also, for the competitive selection based on the results of the NMT 2022-2023 (and in cases of a creative competition), a similar formula is applied:

(KB) = (K1 × P1 + K2 × P2 + K3 × P3 + CT × TC) / (K1 + K2 + K3 + CT) + OU

Where:

• P1, P2, P3 — points for the first, second and third subjects of the NMT 2022 or 2023;
• TC – assessment of the creative competition (if necessary);
• OU – a score (0-10) for completing preparatory courses in the year of admission for specialties with special support (Appendix 6);
• K1, K2, K3 — subject coefficients;
• CT – creative competition evaluation coefficient (if necessary).

NMT coefficient 2025: how to calculate for your specialty

Each NMT subject has its own unique coefficient. The higher the coefficient, the more the subject influences the overall score. Profile subjects (those that are more relevant to the chosen specialty) usually have higher coefficients.

For example:

• For Medicine, the coefficients of biology and physics will be more important.
• For international economic relations, the foreign language coefficient will become more important.

There are special calculators on university websites that will help you calculate your competitive score, taking into account various subjects and coefficients.

Jews are a Semitic people who live predominantly in Israel and constitute the country's largest ethnic group.

Ethnic formation took place in the Middle East. Jews descend from the inhabitants of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judea.

Nowadays, many Jews live outside of Israel.

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ICTV Facts tells how many Jews there are in the world and, in particular, how many Jews survived the Holocaust – read more in the article.

How many Jews are there in the world in 2025

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime murdered approximately six million Jews in Europe and North Africa.

Demographers estimate that there are approximately 15.8 million Jews living in the world as of 2025, representing approximately 0.2% of the world's population.

Countries with large Jewish communities also include:

• France – population: approximately 440 thousand people;
• Canada – approximately 398 thousand people;
• Great Britain – approximately 312 thousand people;
• Argentina – approximately 171 thousand people;
• Germany – approximately 125 thousand people;
• Australia – approximately 117 thousand people.

According to the results of a study conducted by the demographer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Professor Sergio DellaPergola, as of October 2021, 43 thousand Jews lived in Ukraine. The vast majority live in large cities.

Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, a large number of people have left Ukraine. The Israeli Foreign Minister reported that a large number of non-Jewish Ukrainians with family or friendly ties in the country have arrived in their country.

At the same time, it is known that after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, 15 thousand Ukrainian Jews decided to emigrate to Ukraine.

To date, there is no precise data on the size of the community in Ukraine.

How Many Jews Survived the Holocaust: Current Data

The Holocaust was the deliberate extermination of the Jewish population by Nazi Germany during World War II, involving mass repressions, deportations, and murders.

As of early 2025, there are approximately 245,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors living in the world, according to data released by the Jewish Claims Conference (JCC) during a report in Frankfurt am Main.

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime murdered nearly 6 million Jews in Europe and North Africa.

According to JCC statistics, a significant portion of the survivors currently live in Israel (more than 119,000 people, or almost 49% of all living witnesses of the tragedy) and the United States (about 38,400, which is more than 15%). In the United States, most of them live in New York.

There are approximately 14,200 Jews who suffered from Nazi persecution in Germany, and about 21,900 in France, making it the largest Jewish community on the European continent.

The information for the JCC report was collected in August 2023. At that time, the largest group of respondents (41.2%) were people aged 81 to 85 years, meaning they were only 4 to 8 years old during the Holocaust. Thus, today's living witnesses of those events are very old – over 96 years old.

On February 24, 2025, at the age of 113 years and 42 days, the oldest Jewish Holocaust survivor, Rose Girone, a native of Ukraine, died in Bellmore, Nassau County, New York, USA.

She was one of 245,000 Holocaust survivors who still live in more than 90 countries. She fled Nazi Germany in 1939 with her husband and child, but was forced into a Jewish ghetto in Shanghai.

Photo: The New York Times / facebook

How many Jews in the world were killed during the Holocaust

According to information from the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, approximately 6 million Jews were killed during the Nazi occupation, of which more than 1.4 million were killed on the territory of Ukraine.

People tried to save Jews in various ways, including hiding them from the Nazis and local collaborators, giving them real or fake documents, and organizing escapes from ghettos and concentration camps.

Given the fact that there are fewer and fewer living witnesses to the Holocaust, it is very important to preserve the collective memory of these terrible events and to counter anti-Semitic sentiments.

The Israeli army operates on the basis of universal conscription rather than a contract system.

Only officers and some petty officers serve under contract, while the majority of personnel are conscripts or mobilized. This also applies to junior commanders.

You can often find references to the alleged salaries of IDF soldiers, but what is being discussed is more likely symbolic payments that are less than the subsistence minimum and are intended for small expenses – hygiene products, cigarettes, snacks, etc. It is difficult to consider them as full-fledged wages, as in the professional armies of Western countries.

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What is the salary level of the military in Israel in 2025 and what does it depend on? Read on ICTV Facts.

What is the salary level of the military in Israel: what is known about the accruals

The salaries of military personnel in Israel depend on rank and branch of the military.

The Israel Defense Forces consists of three branches of the armed forces:

• Israel Ground Forces;
• Israel Air Force;
• Israel Navy.

In 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed financial policy, directing a significant portion of the defense budget to funding social initiatives. This caused concern among the General Staff, which believed that such cuts could negatively affect the army’s combat readiness.

According to 2012 data, Israel spent $15.2 billion on defense, one of the highest military spending ratios to GDP among developed economies (approximately $1,900 per capita). However, compared to the United States, per capita spending was still lower.

Since the soldiers in Israel were provided with everything they needed, including housing, clothing, food, medical care and other necessities, they were paid only what was considered additional payments for use during leave.

On February 1, 2022, the first salary increase since 2017 took place. The Israeli government approved the state budget, spending on the army amounted to 900 million shekels (then $284 million or almost €252.5 million), which was financed from the appropriations allocated to the Ministries of Defense and Finance.

What is the salary of a military man in Israel?

Following the raise, frontline soldiers faced a sharp jump in monthly salaries, from about NIS 1,600 (then about $506 or €449) to NIS 2,400 (about $758 or €673).

The salaries of non-combat soldiers increased from 800 shekels (then $253 or €224) to 1,200 shekels ($379 or €336).

During the 3rd and final year of service, the monthly salary for combat soldiers increases to NIS 3,048 ($963 or €855), combat support troops will receive NIS 1,793 ($566 or €503), and those performing administrative work will receive NIS 1,235 ($390 or €346).

The minimum wage in Israel for people serving in the army was set at 5,300 shekels ($1,675 or €1,487).

Currently, payments to conscript soldiers range from $345.77 to $853.37 per month, with contract soldiers receiving significantly more.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for IDF officers is NIS 8,100–9,763 per month.

Depending on the department, you receive:

• combatants (in the frontline zone) – about 3,048 shekels per month;
• combat units in the rear – 2,463 shekels per month;
• combat rear personnel – 1,793 shekels per month;
• Administrative soldiers – 1,235 shekels per month.

A contract soldier or career soldier in Israel can earn up to $7,000 per month.

Source: Militarnyi

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for a partial recount of votes in the country's presidential election due to irregularities.

Bloomberg reports this.

Elections in Poland were held with violations

Poland's Supreme Court has received nearly 30,000 complaints after the tense elections.

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Following the defeat of the ruling coalition candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, Tusk said all concerns about the organization of the vote needed to be investigated.

“Where there are doubts, let’s recount the votes again,” Tusk said.

The government's preliminary estimate was that something was wrong at 800 polling stations.

Members of the ruling coalition said that in some cases votes cast for Trzaskowski were credited to Nawrocki and vice versa.

On June 1, Tusk's candidate Rafal Trzaskowski lost by a narrow margin to Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist historian and former boxer backed by the former ruling Law and Justice party.

According to Bloomberg, Nawrocki's victory means that the Polish presidency and government will remain in a state of confrontation, which creates the preconditions for new political instability.

According to Bloomberg, Nawrocki's victory means that the Polish presidency and government will remain in a state of confrontation, which creates the preconditions for new political instability.

While Tusk has sought to give the country greater influence in the European Union, Nawrocki is a vocal critic of the bloc and a supporter of US President Donald Trump.

Poland's Supreme Court, which approves the election results, must consider all the complaints filed and decide on a possible recount of votes in problematic polling stations.

When this will happen is still unknown.

Earlier it was reported that during the Polish presidential elections, vote falsification was discovered in one of the districts.

During the investigation it was discovered that in one of the district electoral commissions there was a substitution of votes, as a result of which it was erroneously announced that Karol Nawrocki had received the largest number of votes, although in fact the majority of votes were cast for Rafal Trzaskowski.