Russian-Israeli Citizen Arrested in Israel on Espionage Charges

A Russian-Israeli dual citizen, Artyom Kirpichenok, was arrested in Israel early last month upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of espionage and foreign influence operations against the state. The Russian news outlet Meduza first reported the story. Kirpichenok, who has resided in Russia since 2005, is accused of maintaining ties with a foreign intelligence agent.

The Central District Prosecutor's Office has filed an indictment and requested his detention until the end of proceedings. A gag order was in place on the case, but it was lifted to allow publication of the fact that Kirpichenok was denied access to a lawyer for over a week and has been in custody since his arrival.

Family representatives deny the charges, calling them false and related to his connections with Russia, where he lives. They emphasized that Russia is not an enemy state to Israel. The Russian ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, confirmed a formal request regarding the case has been filed, and the Russian Foreign Ministry pledged continued assistance, though embassy representatives have not yet been allowed to visit him.

Kirpichenok, 51, born in St. Petersburg, immigrated to Israel in the 1990s and studied at the Hebrew University before returning to Russia about 15 years later. He has been a vocal critic of Israel and Zionism, authoring several books on Israeli and Palestinian history from a critical perspective, including "A People's History of Israel" and "Israel: The Road to Catastrophe."

A group of activists in Russia has launched a petition demanding his release, believing his invitation to a scientific conference in Israel was a trap. They plan to submit collected signatures to Israeli consulates in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Kirpichenok was arrested by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on August 2nd.