(JPost) While thousands of Israelis marked the Jewish New Year with celebrations in the city of Uman, media outlets in Ukraine reported that 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 there.

According to the report, during the last few days, the military forces of Ukraine shot down more than 10 drones, some of which were launched from the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and aimed at Uman. According to the assessment, Russia wanted to focus on Chasidic 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.”

At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Force also reported that, for the first time, it had shot down a large Iranian drone of the Mohajer-6 type. After the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry 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 act, the 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 Kyiv.”

Last month, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry 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 Ministry 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,” read the warning.