---
title: "Came for Rosh Hashanah, didn't return: dual-citizenship Hasid detained at the Ukrainian border"
description: "Yonatan Karlinsky, a 49-year-old Hasid who came from Israel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, was detained at the Romanian border: Ukrainian citizenship and a wanted record were found. His whereabouts are unknown; the SBGS denies the mobilization version."
date: 2026-09-23T10:38:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/israeli-hasid-detained-ukrainian-border-rosh-hashanah-uman
tags: [ukraine, israel, mobilization, uman, rosh-hashana, border-control, dual-citizenship, gpsu]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Came for Rosh Hashanah, didn't return: dual-citizenship Hasid detained at the Ukrainian border

![A Hasid in white prayer by a pond during Rosh Hashana pilgrimage in Ukraine](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/izrailtyanin-zaderzhan-na-granice-uman-rosh-ga-shana/izrailtyanin-zaderzhan-na-granice-uman-rosh-ga-shana-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- 49-year-old Israeli citizen Yonatan Karlinsky was detained at the Ukrainian-Romanian border after a trip to Uman for Rosh Hashanah
- Karlinsky was found to have dual citizenship (Israel and Ukraine) and a record in the military registry
- The SBGS denies reports of mobilization at the border, stating that it does not carry out mobilization activities at crossing points
- Karlinsky's whereabouts after being handed over to the police are unknown; the family has contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Yonatan Karlinsky, a 49-year-old Israeli citizen and Hasid who came to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah — the main Jewish holiday — did not return home. According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), on the way back the bus carrying pilgrims stopped at a border crossing point on the border with Romania, where the man was detained during a document check. Since his detention, contact with Karlinsky has been lost, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day. Relatives and friends have contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for help to secure his release and return him to his homeland.

### Dual citizenship and record in the military registry

According to information confirmed by the SBGS in its statement, during border processing it turned out that Karlinsky, in addition to Israeli citizenship, also holds Ukrainian citizenship. Moreover, the military registry contained a record that the man was wanted. Under current legislation, border guards handed him over to representatives of the National Police for further investigation. As reported by the Israeli outlet Mako, citing informed sources, Karlinsky left Ukraine 14 years ago and returned this year solely for the holiday. According to Mako's source, the incident occurred after the man spoke to Ukrainian police officers in Ukrainian: “He wanted to be polite, and it ended with his detention. They realized he was probably a Ukrainian citizen born in this country, and detained him for questioning. He thought that having Israeli citizenship gave him immunity.”

### Contradictory data

There are several significant discrepancies between the border service's statements and reports in Ukrainian media. RBC-Ukraine reports that the decision was made to mobilize the man. However, the SBGS in its official comment emphasized that it does not carry out any mobilization activities at crossing points, and therefore, according to the service, it is incorrect to speak of “mobilization of a foreigner.” Border guards also stated that foreign citizens are not checked against the military registry in Ukraine when crossing the border, as this is not within their authority. Yet it was precisely the border guards, by their own account, who found Karlinsky's record in the military registry and handed him over to the police. Thus, a question arises: if checking the military registry is not within border guards' authority, how exactly was the wanted record discovered? Furthermore, it is unclear on what basis and in what status — as a Ukrainian citizen or as a foreigner — Karlinsky was handed over to the police and what happened to him afterward.

### Context: mobilization processes and external pressure

The incident with Karlinsky unfolds against the backdrop of large-scale mobilization processes in Ukraine. According to RBC-Ukraine, the National Police received more than 1.5 million requests from Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRC) regarding the search for mobilization evaders since the beginning of 2026 alone. Since the start of martial law, police have opened more than 20,000 criminal cases on such matters. Against this backdrop, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius publicly refuted claims circulating on social media about EU pressure on Kyiv regarding mobilization. According to him, Brussels does not demand that Ukraine conscript women and does not interfere in the country's mobilization processes.

### Legal status and next steps

At present, Karlinsky's legal position remains uncertain. On the one hand, he is an Israeli citizen and, by his own account, believed that this gave him a certain immunity from Ukrainian law enforcement measures. On the other — the presence of Ukrainian citizenship and a record in the military registry make him, under Ukrainian law, a subject subject to mobilization. However, as the SBGS emphasizes, the border service does not have the authority to carry out mobilization activities. Karlinsky's relatives continue to seek information about his whereabouts through the Israeli embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of the publication of this article, no official comment from the National Police of Ukraine regarding the fate of the detained man had been received.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [49-year-old Israeli disappears after trip to Uman: what the SBGS says](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/49-richniy-izrayiltyanin-znik-pislya-poyizdki-1790159711.html) - Подтверждает факт задержания, двойное гражданство, запись в розыске, передачу полиции. Сообщает о версии мобилизации.
- [He went to Uman for Rosh Hashanah: Hasid with Ukrainian and Israeli citizenship mobilized at the border](https://antikor.info/ru/articles/864777-ehal_v_umanj_na_rosh_ha-ana_na_granitse_mobilizovali_hasida_s_grahdanstvom_ukrainy_i_izrailja) - Подтверждает основные факты. Использует формулировку 'мобилизовали', что противоречит позиции ГПСУ.
- [49-year-old Israeli did not return from Uman](https://ua.news/ru/ukraine/49-richnii-izrayiltianin-ne-povernuvsia-z-umani) - Подтверждает факт исчезновения после поездки в Умань и обращение семьи в МИД Израиля.
- [Israeli turns out to be a Ukrainian citizen: SBGS reveals details of Hasid's detention at the border](https://focus.ua/ukraine/768742-mobilizaciya-hasida-na-granice-ukrainy-v-gpsu-dali-kommentariy) - Подтверждает комментарий ГПСУ о том, что проверка по военному учёту не входит в полномочия пограничников и мобилизационных мероприятий на границе не проводится.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who is Yonatan Karlinsky and why was he at the Ukrainian border?
**A:** Yonatan Karlinsky is a 49-year-old Hasid, a citizen of Israel and Ukraine. He left Ukraine 14 years ago and in 2026 returned to Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. On the way back, the bus carrying pilgrims stopped at a border crossing point on the border with Romania, where he was detained.

### Q: Why was Karlinsky detained at the border?
**A:** According to the SBGS, during a document check it turned out that he holds Ukrainian citizenship and has a wanted record in the military registry. According to the Israeli outlet Mako, the detention occurred after Karlinsky spoke to border officers in Ukrainian.

### Q: Was Karlinsky mobilized at the border?
**A:** RBC-Ukraine reports that the man was decided to be mobilized. However, the SBGS officially denies this version, stating that it does not carry out mobilization activities at crossing points and that speaking of the mobilization of a foreigner is incorrect. The exact fate of Karlinsky after being handed over to the police is not disclosed.

### Q: Where is Karlinsky now?
**A:** Karlinsky's whereabouts after his detention and handover to the National Police are unknown. Contact with him has been lost. Relatives and friends have contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for help to secure his release and bring him home.