KIEV, January 16. /ITAR-TASS/. The Ukrainian parliament has passed a bill on Thursday that envisages prison terms from three to five years to vandals who destroy monuments to Soviet soldiers.

The adopted bill entails amendments to the Ukrainian Criminal Code and envisages punishment, either in the form of restriction of freedom for three-five years or imprisonment for the same term, to all those who vandalized and destroyed monuments built in memory of WWII heroes "who fought against Nazism, took part in partisan movement, WWII guerillas, the victims of Nazi repressions, soldiers who fought on international war fronts and peacekeepers."

The bill was initiated by deputies from the Communist party of Ukraine.