A vandal who defaced a Hanukkah display on Wednesday was arrested by Ukrainian law enforcement, the Lviv National Police announced on Thursday morning.
The intoxicated 19-year-old resident had severed the traditional Hanukkah candelabra’s power cable and then fled.The suspect faces thousands in fines, hundreds of hours of community service, years of probationary supervision, or even prison terms for violation of a law against damage to religious buildings and places of worship.
Police said on Wednesday that it opened an investigation after a video of the incident spread on social media. Law enforcement is still reviewing the involvement of those who filmed the crime.
Sharing a photograph of the Lviv Hanukkiah on social media, ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky thanked Ukrainian law enforcement for their quick and decisive action against lawbreakers but expressed concern about recent incidents.
The Israeli embassy in Ukraine “expresses concern about antisemitic incidents during Hanukkah in Ukraine, and about manifestations of antisemitism on social networks,” Brodsky said Thursday morning.
Bandera celebration
The same day as the Hanukkah vandalism, Lviv was also host to the celebration of the birthday of Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, according to the Lviv regional council. Local leaders laid flowers, held a moment of silence for those lost in the ongoing war with Russia, and featured a choir performance at a statue of Bandera. Participants waved the flags of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.
“Stepan Bandera is a symbol of the Ukrainian struggle, which is mortally afraid of the enemy,” said Lviv Regional Council acting chairman Yuri Kholod. “The Moscow invasion remembers Bandera’s people when it sees the Ukrainian and red-black flags and understands that it will fall on the battlefield.”
Kholod called on foreign politicians to cease shaming the Ukrainian struggle, its history, and heroes like Bandera.During World War II, Bandera led the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which killed thousands of Jews and Poles.
Ukrainian historian Marta Havryshko shared on Wednesday a video of a red flare lit by soldiers in honor of Bandera.“Remember, foreigner, the master here is Ukrainian!” the men chanted, according to the historian, who noted that Ukraine relies on Western military aid.
"Remember, foreigner, the master here is Ukrainian!" shouted far-right during the march commemorating Bandera in Lviv. At the same time, half of Ukraine's budget comes from the West taxpayers. What will happen if this flow is cut? pic.twitter.com/uTgoksnr7I
— Marta Havryshko (@HavryshkoMarta) January 1, 2025
On Monday night, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Mykolaiv central synagogue during Hanukkah celebrations. The fire was extinguished by a security guard but damaged the synagogue’s door. Mykolaiv police are searching for suspects.