Three Israeli youths, including two brothers, are accused of vandalizing a statue of Jesus on the cross in the city of Uman in the Ukraine.
According to an announcement by Ukrainian police, the three Israelis are suspected of intentionally vandalizing the statue of Jesus on the cross situated in Uman on the eve of the Gregorian new year.
An indictment will be submitted shortly against the three, with the maximum punishment in Ukrainian law for such a crime standing at eight years in jail.
"The offenders are three people, including two brothers, all holding Israeli citizenship. The identity of the third offender is still unknown. All three are aged 16-18. The two brothers who have been identified were notified that they are suspected of a criminal offense of harming civilian rights to equality of race, creed or nationality under Ukrainian law. The charges against them are being investigated. Ukrainian law imposes a maximum punishment of eight years in jail for this offense," said a statement by Ukrainan police
The statue of Jesus on the cross is adjacent to the municipal swimming pool in Uman, a city which thousands of Israelis arrive in annually to visit the grave of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov. The police believe that the three Israeli youths were also pilgrims to the grave of Rabbi Nahman.