Israelis Detained at Kiev Airport

Israeli travelers to Ukraine found themselves caught in a diplomatic spat on Wednesday, experiencing detentions similar to those that occurred in a Moscow airport in recent days.

Seven Israelis were detained for over four hours at Ukraine’s international airport in Kiev, according to Channel 12, and are being sent back to Israel on the first available flight.

Avichai Shahaf, one of those detained, was quoted as saying that the Ukrainian officials have admitted the detention is political.

“The Ukrainians told us Israel is returning their people so they decided to return us,” he said, adding that Israeli foreign ministry officials have entered the picture.

The wife of another passenger, en route to Uman, said, “They are waiting at the airport and not doing anything. They put a policeman next to them and they aren’t allowed to go anywhere. I understood they tried to find out what happened and weren’t given any answers.”

Similar incidents have happened several times in Ukraine over the past year, apparently part of a tit-for-tat between the two countries.