While thousands of Israelis marked the Hebrew New Year with celebrations in the city of Uman, media outlets in Ukraine reported today (Tuesday) that the Russian forces deliberately launched at least 10 Iranian suicide drones of the “Shahad-136” model over the city, with the aim of harming Israelis staying in the city.
Before the arrival of worshipers to Uman: the security service of Ukraine carried out special training
Despite the severe travel warning, thousands of Israelis flew to Uman: “I was told that Putin would not attack”
According to the report, during the last few days the military forces of Ukraine shot down more than ten drones, some of which were launched from the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and aimed at Uman. According to the assessment, the Russians wanted to focus on Hasidic religious sites with a large audience.
A Ukrainian security official told the Babel news website that “planned acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens are one of the conditions for the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia. As we know, this is not the first example of cooperation between the two countries. Not long ago, a Ukrainian civilian plane was shot down in Iran, probably by mistake . But you can see the interests of the Kremlin behind this case.”
Yesterday it was reported that three Iranian suicide drones were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense near the city of Odessa. The drone deal between Iran and Russia led to a deterioration in relations between Tehran and Kiev. Earlier this week, Ukraine announced that it would cut ties with Iran, claiming that “Tehran supplies the Russian army with drones”, a move that President Volodymyr Zelensky called “collaboration with evil”.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Force also reported that it shot down for the first time a large Iranian drone of the “Mohjar-6” type. After the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country had already announced that the delivery of the drones would lead to severe damage to the bilateral relations between the countries, a political source said that “in response to the fact The unfriendly Ukrainian side decided to revoke the authority of the Iranian ambassador, and also to significantly reduce the number of diplomatic staff of the Iranian embassy in Kiev.
Top drone story: @MarkRid89403375: ‘Why did the Russian Federation begin to actively use kamikaze drones “Shahed-136 aka Geranium-2” and began to use cruise missiles less often? ‘ pic.twitter.com/UkpAWjJCfxsee more https://t.co/DPa3E11G9g
— Drone Photography (@Droneuavfilming) September 27, 2022
Last month, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a severe warning ahead of the traditional Rosh Hashanah events in Uman. “Russia’s ongoing military aggression makes it impossible to guarantee the safety of foreign citizens on the territory of Ukraine,” it said. In the published message, there was a clear call for worshipers to avoid the pilgrimage. Along with this call, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also referred to those who will still decide to observe the annual tradition: “If you decide to visit Uman contrary to these warnings, you should note that Ukraine has instituted martial law in the country.”
At the same time, Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Kornyinchuk, said in an interview with the Jerusalem Post that “Jews who fly to Uman in Ukraine on Rosh Hashanah – will risk their lives.” Kornichuk noted that last year more than 30,000 followers of Breslav arrived, mainly from Israel but also from the US, UK and France, and another large gathering this year would attract attention from the Russian army, which might attack the pilgrimage site. “Imagine if Russia bombed them, what will happen?”, he asked. Korniinchuk said that he tried to talk to influential rabbis in Israel so that the worshipers would not fly to Ukraine, and that Kyiv is ready to close its borders to religious tourists.