WASHINGTON, D.C., June 22, 2015 -NCSEJ condemns the deplorable statements made last week by pro-Russian rebel leader Igor Plotnitsky: that fascistic Jewish leadership controls Ukraine and was responsible for the "Euromaidan revolution."

Plotnitsky heads the Luhansk People's Republic, a separatist enclave in eastern Ukraine.

These statements and similar statements made by other pro-Russian rebel leaders in Ukraine are classic anti-Semitic rhetoric, aimed at inciting ethnic and religious hatred.

NCSEJ strongly decries these statements. The singling out of Jewish citizens of Ukraine for participating in the civic and political life in their country is unacceptable and should be condemned by government leadership and society.

The implication that the Ukrainian Jews have orchestrated or are benefiting from the events in the region ignores the real facts; that Jewish Ukrainians have stood alongside their fellow citizens in fighting for freedom and have suffered the loss of their homes, livelihoods, and their lives in fighting for their country.