Synagogue desecrated in Voronezh

On the night of March 18, 2007 in Voronezh, unidentified people painted extremist inscriptions and fascist symbols on the wall of the city synagogue building.

An operational group was sent to the scene of the incident, consisting of an investigator from the prosecutor's office and the prosecutor of the Leninsky district, operational officers of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate and the FSB of the region. The group was headed by First Deputy Regional Prosecutor Nikolay Tretyakov.

The prosecutor's office of the Leninsky district opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Art. 214 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("vandalism") and part 1 of Art. 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("public calls for the implementation of extremist activities"). A preliminary investigation is underway.

The head of the Voronezh Jewish community, Anatoly Sherman, believes that "the synagogue was decorated in response to the actions of the prosecutor's office, which the day before arrested two young people on suspicion of destroying tombstones in a Jewish cemetery" in early March 2007.

Synagogue desecrated in Voronezh // RIA Novosti. 2007. March 19.

Sources

• Nazdracheva L. Xenophobic Spring. Voronezh becomes the capital of all-Russian nationalism // New news. 2007. March 20.