Russia’s relations with Israel are one of the most interesting and complicated interactions in the history of Russian presence in the Middle East. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) helped to establish the state of Israel hoping that it would become one of its regional allies, only to antagonize it a few years later over what it perceived as “the support for imperial policies” in Israel of Western states. Cooperative relations have been on the gradual rise following the break-up of the USSR, even though Russia’s regional presence at the time was modest at best. President Vladimir Putin revived the idea of a partnership with Israel on the basis of “pure pragmatism” and, during Putin’s 20 years in power so far, the two nations have entered a qualitatively new phase in the relationship. The war in Syria, however, shows that the relationship is at a turning point