At the end of 2021, Israel and marked 30 years of formal diplomatic relations. While the Israeli media celebrated the occasion, most Russian media opted to overlook or barely acknowledge it. One newspaper, however, stood out: the privately-owned Kommersant, which dedicated an entire interview to Israel’s then-foreign minister Yair Lapid. I remember this vividly, because I served at the time as tourism minister on behalf of Lapid’s party, Yesh Atid. For me, the interview in Kommersant did not come as a surprise, as they were always considered more pro Israel in their editorial stance. My recollection of this episode resurfaced ...