Scientist, PhD, historian, writer, publicist, orientalist, journalist, and blogger
https://www.facebook.com/artem.kirpichenok
https://sites.google.com/view/artem-kirpichenok
To add your signature to the open letter in defense of historian and publicist Artem Kirpichenok, send your details (first name, last name, position/title, place of work, and country) to ArtemKirpichenok@gmail.com
Artem Kirpichenok is a scholar, Ph.D. in history, historian, writer, publicist, Middle East scholar, journalist, and blogger. He specializes in the research of Zionism and the history of the Middle East. He lived in Israel for about 15 years, holds dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, and has been permanently residing in Russia in recent years. Born on April 16, 1975, in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg); he is currently 51 years old. In the early 1990s, he repatriated with his family to Israel as a teenager, where he graduated from the Faculty of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. There, in 2003, at the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies under the direction of Professor Jonathan Frankel, he defended his doctoral dissertation “The Serbian settlements in Ukraine in the middle of the 18th century,” receiving his Ph.D. He completed his military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In the mid-2000s, he returned to Russia, where he worked as a tour guide and engaged in academic and journalistic activities.
Currently, he serves as the Head of the Slavic Studies Department at the Center for Arab-Eurasian Studies (CAES), and is a columnist and author for the leading Russian business publication Vedomosti, the Turkish state media TRT in Russian, and the federal newspaper Kultura. He is also a regular contributor and expert for Russian and foreign socio-political platforms including Svobodnaya Pressa, Metro Newspaper, the Azerbaijani portal Caliber.Az, and the Ukraina.ru news agency. Furthermore, he collaborates as an expert with the Center for Applied Research and Programs (PRISP Center) and the STMEGI media resource, and publishes on specialized scientific, educational, and left-wing platforms such as Skepsis, Rabkor, and Liva.
A. Kirpichenok is the author of 8 historical and publicistic books on domestic and foreign history, politics, and sociology, including:
- Why Did the Counter-Revolution Win in Russia? The Right Wing Against the Truth,
- St. Petersburg. Walks with a Breeze. A Guidebook for Scooters and Bicycles,
- Israel: The Road to Catastrophe
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UnDyLYkqqHTHRyuxL5aH99OwMQOIvk5H ,
- The Rise and Fall of General Horvat,
- Notes of a Man from Atlantis,
- A People's History of Israel
https://flibusta.is/b/774199 ,
- Hungary 1956: A Different Perspective,
- Serbian Settlements in Ukraine in the Middle of the XVIII Century.
His writings are exceptionally insightful, engaging, and consistently uncover lesser-known historical records. In his numerous publications, articles, and public appearances, he has consistently criticized the Israeli government for its regional escalation and its policies regarding the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In the autumn of 2018, he spent approximately two weeks in the Islamic Republic of Iran. For Israeli citizens, traveling to Iran is strictly prohibited without special government permission, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 4 years. Following this trip, he visited Israel multiple times without hindrance, and no legal action was taken against him at that time.
A. Kirpichenok holds left-wing, internationalist convictions and is recognized as one of the leading Middle East regional experts in Russia. He is widely known as a profound and consistent critic of US and Israeli foreign policy, a defender of authentic Jewish anti-fascist culture and solidarity among all nations, as well as a modest and kind individual.
On August 2, 2026, he arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport (Tel Aviv, Israel) on a flight from Yerevan (Armenia). The return ticket was purchased for August 8. The plane was supposed to land at 10:50, but as early as 10:41 he sent a message: "Arrived". The last activity on social networks was recorded around 10:46. Since then, he does not get in touch and does not reply in messengers, which is completely uncharacteristic for him.
He did not reach his apartment in Ashkelon (which he rented out, and is now selling and needs to sign the documents in person, for which he periodically comes), where he planned to go by bus, although he intended to stay in it until the return flight. Appearance on August 2: light trousers, green shirt with long sleeves, brown leather backpack. The police, following a report about the disappearance of Artem Kirpichenok, said that at 14:00 he passed border control at Tel Aviv airport and, according to available information, is located on the territory of Israel.
As it turned out, he is detained, is in a detention center, and a case was opened against him in the Israel Security Agency SHABAK (Shin Bet), responsible for internal security, counterintelligence and the fight against terrorism inside the country and directly subordinate to the Prime Minister of Israel. On August 5, former State Duma deputy of Russia Daria Mitina stated that he is in an Israeli prison. There is no official confirmation of the detention from the authorities yet.
The Russian Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Anatoly Viktorov, noted that the embassy had sent an inquiry to the competent Israeli departments. His interests are represented by Israeli lawyer Inna Led, as well as a lawyer officially appointed by SHABAK, but access to lawyers is limited and none of them has seen Artem Kirpichenok yet. What exactly is incriminated to him is not voiced. Israeli departments do not comment on the detention. Neither the procedural status of Kirpichenok nor the reason for the arrest are officially known.
The newspaper "Haaretz" wanted to write about this incident, but they were banned. In Israel, a favorite technique is "isur pirsum", i.e. a ban on publicity, which SHABAK used now. Artem Kirpichenok has repeatedly criticized the Israeli leadership for its policy. In this connection, there is an assumption that he could be lured into the country for the purpose of reprisal and arrested right at the airport.
Usually, a detainee must appear before a court within 48 hours, but if he is qualified as "bitchoni" (i.e. crimes against the security of the state), then he can be held up to 35 days without compliance of charges. He can be held for a long time, even years, at the stage of preliminary investigation. As a citizen of Israel, he can be tried under Israeli laws — for treason, espionage, etc.
On August 24, Darya Mitina reported that Artem Kirpichenok is being held in the SHABAK detention facility in Petah Tikva. Following numerous appeals, defense attorney Inna Lebedinskaya-Katz was granted a meeting with the detainee. This step may indicate that the preliminary investigation is nearing completion. The scholar is being held in a basement cell with harsh artificial light turned on 24/7. He is subjected to hours-long interrogations lasting 18 to 24 hours, accompanied by psychological pressure and threats of life imprisonment. Official charges have not been announced, and the criminal case materials have not been presented to the lawyer. A gag order ("isur pirsum") on any publications and public information remains officially in effect until August 27. Kirpichenok's past trips to Iran did not interest the SHABAK officers, so the charges will be brought on other legal grounds. The scholar asked the lawyer to reach out to comrades for help; however, because he was inside a glass booth, the lawyer could not hear the names clearly and had no opportunity to ask for clarification.
On August 27, any communication with Artem Kirpichenok was prohibited once again during his court hearing. Visually, he looks significantly worse than during his first meeting with the lawyer on August 23. The court announced that on September 1, the prosecutor will present a "Prosecutor's Declaration" (Hatzharat Tove'a) marking the completion of the SHABAK investigation, and will demand his detention until the end of the trial, after which the defense will finally receive access to the case materials. The gag order on publications within Israel (Isur Pirsum) has been extended until August 30. The lawyer demanded the annulment of the scholar's confessions, which were obtained under duress (including threats to confiscate his apartment in Ashkelon and deport him to Ukraine to certain death). The judge will reconsider the request for house arrest on September 1. Additionally, Artem requested an interpreter, and due to his depression and post-traumatic condition, his lawyer demanded that a psychiatrist be allowed to see him; the judge will make a decision on September 1.
On August 28, the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights of the Russian Federation (HRC) sent an official appeal to Matthew Gillett, Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The document, signed by the Head of the HRC, Valery Fadeev, states that the arrest of Artem Kirpichenok is politically motivated and constitutes a gross violation of freedom of speech (Article 19 of the ICCPR). The Council urged the UN to intervene and demand that Israel disclose the case materials, guarantee access to legal counsel, and provide the scholar with urgent medical assistance due to the threat of vision loss.
September 1, 2026 marked the final hearing in the magistrate's court, and the case is being transferred to the Lod District Court. A "Prosecutor's Declaration" (Hatzharat Tove'a) was presented, indicating the completion of the SHABAK investigation, with the official indictment scheduled to be read on September 4. The judge denied the request for house arrest, and the scientist remains in custody due to the severity of the allegations (according to the lawyer, the charges may involve espionage). According to the lawyer, the scientist is being escorted in a severely hunched position, wearing hand and leg irons attached to a heavy metal ball. The situation is unprecedented and requires the attention of the Russian scientific and journalistic communities to ensure maximum public awareness.
Please spend 1 minute: copy the RUSSIAN text below, insert your details, and send an email to the Russian Consul.
(Note: If you are not a Russian citizen, in the "Паспорт" field simply enter your passport number and your country of citizenship, e.g., Паспорт: 98765432, USA).
WHERE TO SEND:
Subject: ЭКСТРЕННО — Задержание гражданина РФ Кирпиченка А.И.
COPY AND SEND THIS TEXT:
Послу РФ в Израиле Викторову А.Д.
от: [Your Full Name]
Паспорт: [Your Passport Number and Country]
Телефон: [Your Phone]
ОБРАЩЕНИЕ
Уважаемый Анатолий Дмитриевич!
Прошу оказать экстренное консульское содействие гражданину РФ Кирпиченку Артему Ивановичу, 1975 г.р., который задержан спецслужбой ШАБАК в Израиле и находится под стражей.
Прошу направить официальный запрос властям Израиля для выяснения его местонахождения, причин задержания и обеспечения к нему консульского доступа для защиты его законных прав.
[Your First and Last Name]
[Date]
--
English translation (For your understanding only — do not send this part):
To the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Israel Viktorov A.D.
from: [Your Full Name]
Passport: [Your Passport Number and Country]
Phone: [Your Phone]
APPEAL
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
I request to provide urgent consular assistance to citizen of the Russian Federation Artem Kirpichenok, born in 1975, who is detained by the SHABAK security service in Israel and is currently held under custody. I request to send an official inquiry to the Israeli authorities to clarify his location, the reasons for his detention, and to ensure consular access to him to protect his lawful rights.
[Your First and Last Name]
[Date]
--
Emergency phone number (if someone is in Israel and is ready to call personally): +972 54 962 23 41 .
Please spend 1 minute: copy the text below, insert your details and send an email to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
WHERE TO SEND:
To: mail@acri.org.il
Subject: URGENT: Detention of citizen Artem Kirpichenok
To the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
from: [Your First and Last Name]
APPEAL
Dear Sir/Madam!
I request to provide urgent legal and human rights assistance to citizen Artem Kirpichenok, born in 1975, who is detained by the SHABAK security service in Israel and is currently held under custody.
I request to send an official inquiry to the Israeli authorities to clarify his location, the reasons for his detention, and to ensure access to his legal counsel to protect his lawful rights.
[Your First and Last Name]
[Your Country]
[Date]
--
Online Hotline: acri.org.il ,
Emergency phone number (if someone is in Israel and is ready to call personally): +972 3 560 81 85 .
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I do not have Russian or Israeli citizenship. Can I send a letter?
Yes, of course. Both the Russian consulate and the international human rights organization ACRI are obliged to accept appeals from any citizens, regardless of their passport and place of residence. The main thing is that help is required for a person whose rights have been grossly violated.
Is it safe to send such letters?
Absolutely safe. You are not doing anything illegal. You are using your lawful right to appeal to official state bodies (the Consulate of the Russian Federation) and international human rights institutions (ACRI) to protect a person.
Is it mandatory to include my passport details and phone number in the letter to the consul?
It is preferable. Russian state bodies are required by law to respond to any appeals, but the presence of your data gives the letter an official status and protects it from falling into spam filters. For human rights activists from ACRI, your personal data (passport and phone number) are not required — those fields have been removed there for your convenience.
Will the letters arrive if I am writing from abroad?
Yes. Email works worldwide without restrictions. All the specified addresses are active and accept international correspondence 24/7.
What else can I do besides sending letters?
Spread the link to this website as much as possible. Share Artem's story on your social networks, specialized chats, and channels. SHABAK is counting on complete silence around this case ("isur pirsum" — a ban on publicity). Our main task is to break this conspiracy of silence.
Russian writer Artem Kirpichenok arrested in Israel
“Greetings from Moscow, dear friends. Russian historian and writer Artem Kirpichenok has been arrested in Israel. This was reported on Telegram by former State Duma deputy Daria Mitina.
‘Our worst fears have been confirmed. Artem Kirpichenok is in prison in the hands of the Israeli secret police, Shabak,’ she wrote.
It is also reported that the historian ceased communication immediately after arriving in Israel on the morning of August 2.
Kirpichenok is a Russian of Jewish origin, a Ph.D. in history, a Middle East expert, and a critic of Zionism. For years, this has been reflected in his interviews, articles, and books. He remains cut off from communication, and the Israeli authorities have not yet filed any charges against him.
Artem Kirpichenok has repeatedly appeared as an expert in our reports on teleSUR, analyzing Middle East issues from Russia and defending the Palestinian people and their rights. He has also done great work within Russian Jewish communities and organizations, explaining the Nazi essence of Zionism.
The Russian Ambassador in Tel Aviv confirmed that he is aware of this news, and the embassy will provide all necessary support to this detained Russian citizen. His friends from different countries are organizing to begin the struggle for his release.
From Moscow for teleSUR, Oleg Yasinski.”
Report by teleSUR — the largest Latin American public television network based in Venezuela.
6 August 2026
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PEACE-KEEPING AND HUMANITARIAN PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PEACE FOUNDATIONS
Novoalekseevskaya str., 20 A, bldg. 7, Moscow, Russia, 129626 www.mafimpeace.ru email: mcoomafm@bk.ru
PSRN (OGRN) 1257700121470, TIN (INN) 9717177329, IEC (KPP) 771701001
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE DEMAND THE RELEASE OF RUSSIAN HISTORIAN ARTEM KIRPICHENOK
DETAINED IN ISRAEL!
Statement
by the International Association of Peace Foundations
August 7, 2026
According to media reports, Artem Kirpichenok, a well-known Russian historian, public figure, journalist, and full member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS), who flew there on business, has been detained in Israel and placed in a detention facility of the Israel Security Agency SHABAK.
There are still no official explanations from the Israeli authorities, which allows us to say that what happened was dictated solely by political motives. A. Kirpichenok has always openly opposed the foreign and domestic policies of the Israeli government, writing about the danger of Zionism to peace and to the Jewish people themselves. Kirpichenok lived for several years in Israel, graduated from the Hebrew University, served in the Israeli army, and later returned to Russia, although he retained his Israeli citizenship. When he presented his book "Israel. The Path to Disaster" at our Soviet Peace Fund in 2023, we were able to see that his anti-Zionist position is historically and legally precise, expresses respect for the Jewish and Palestinian peoples, and reflects deep knowledge of the material and a personal active political stance. While analyzing and criticizing Zionism, he has always advocated for peace in the Middle East and in defense of the rights of the Palestinian people to their independent sovereign state. Recently, he decisively condemned Israel's actions in Gaza, as well as the aggression of Israel and the US against Iran; he visited Iran, expressing his solidarity with it, and made reports about these trips. This is exactly what they do not want to forgive him for in the West.
We express extreme concern for the safety and health of Russian citizen Artem Kirpichenok detained in Israel, and demand his immediate release! Knowing the researcher personally, we are confident that he has committed no criminal acts, and his persecution is carried out for his sincere patriotic political convictions.
(Signature)
S. Baburin,
President of the International Association of Peace Foundations,
Doctor of Law, Professor,
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma
of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 2nd and 4th convocations.
To: Anatoly Viktorov,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel
From: Daria Barabanova,
Actress, Choreographer, Ballet Master, and Director
APPEAL
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
I am writing to you regarding an emergency situation involving the detention in the State of Israel of my close friend, Artem Ivanovich Kirpichenok, a citizen of the Russian Federation born in 1975.
As a representative of the arts and culture sector—an actress, director, and choreographer—I am profoundly shaken by these events. My close friend, Artem Kirpichenok, has been detained by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet / Shabak) and is currently held in custody.
Mr. Artem Kirpichenok has no family or relatives. His social connections are concentrated exclusively within the professional community and his circle of colleagues, who are closely monitoring the developments of this situation.
The official grounds for his detention, his exact location, and his current procedural status remain undisclosed. Consequently, there is a severe threat of violation of his legal rights, including potential restrictions on his access to legal counsel.
Given that Mr. A. I. Kirpichenok is a citizen of the Russian Federation, I urgently request you and the members of the diplomatic mission to provide immediate consular assistance, specifically:
1. To submit an official inquiry to the Israeli authorities to establish the exact whereabouts of Mr. A. I. Kirpichenok and the grounds for his detention.
2. To ensure the full realization of his statutory right to consular access.
3. To place the protection of the rights and the conditions of detention of this Russian citizen under your personal supervision.
I kindly request that you inform me of the outcomes of this appeal via the aforementioned email address.
Respectfully yours.
Let My People Go
Years ago, Americans and Israelis were called to support the Russian Jews trying to leave the Red Empire. Now it is other way around – a Russian-Israeli journalist was arrested upon his arrival in Tel Aviv Airport. The arrested by Shabak, the Israeli analogue of FBI (or Gestapo) is a really nice guy, Artyom Kirpichonok. He was born and brought up in St Petersburg, has been taken by his mother to Israel in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, studied history, obtained PhD in Jerusalem Hebrew University, and eventually returned to St Petersburg, the city of his childhood. Artyom wrote articles for the Russian and Turkish media, and was very active in counter-Zionist meetings. He was invited to many gatherings for solidarity with the Palestinians, penned a few short books, notably the People’s History of Israel (named so after Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the US). Artyom made his living by guiding tourists in St Petersburg, the beautiful city, the Capital of the Russian Empire of old. Artyom is a soft, modest, moderate guy, left-leaning without extreme. His arrest was a great shock for all his acquaintances.
It seems that he was enticed to come to Israel by the Shabak; though he frequently visited Israel, where he had a flat and many friends. In Israel, they have no habeas corpus, the secret service can keep its prisoners for years without trial and even without specific charges. Indeed, there are something like 2000 prisoners without charges, many are Palestinians, but the Jews also can get imprisoned without trial or charges.
His last published column in TRT was We are proud of being hated, previous one The Arab citizens of Israel from Ghetto to Apartheid. The most popular book by Artyom is The People’s History of Israel.
Detention of this kind man, a scholar of very moderate views, show us to what horror Israel is coming, surely it will be a big surprise for those who thought Jews are safe in Israel.
Israel Shamir
August 10, 2026
They are Coming for the Penguins: Artem Ivanovich Kirpichenok is in a Shin Bet Prison in Israel
My friend Artem Ivanovich Kirpichenok would not hurt a fly. On 2 August 2026, he arrived in Tel Aviv and – somehow – ended up in prison. What we know is that he was arrested by the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret police. There has been no contact with him since. There has been no official reason for his detention. A historian and writer who is unusually gentle and kind has now disappeared into the Israeli prison system.
Artem was born and lived in St. Petersburg (Russia), although he lived in Israel for fifteen years and graduated from the Hebrew University (Jerusalem). He later took a PhD in History from the Department of Slavic Studies at the Center for Arab-Eurasian Studies. Working as a journalist, Artem wrote for TRT Russian (Turkey) and Caliber (Azerbaijan), where he reported on the Israeli policy toward the Palestinians and on the Israeli war on Gaza. In 2018, Artem travelled to Iran, where he visited several cities and wrote about them on his personal blog.
During the past few days, agitated about Artem, I have taken refuge in literature produced in and about our city of St. Petersburg (when we were born there, it was Leningrad). In March 1901, Maxim Gorky published Song of the Stormy Petrel about an event in the city: students in the city protested over the conscription of their fellow student in Kyiv for a war that no-one wanted; and so, the Tsar’s Cossacks came to attack these students at Kazan Cathedral. The song appeared inside a longer satirical piece called Spring Melodies, which the authorities banned. Spring Melodies is set in a land of birds, where Siskin – a small bird who stands in for the youth – sings this song. Gorky slipped the song out of Spring Melodies and published it in the journal Life. That song was later canonized in the Soviet Union as a great revolutionary song.
I love the accident of it. The most dangerous text of that era slipped by the censors because it pretended to be a harmless little bird song. I never spoke with Artem about this song, but it is impossible to imagine that he would not have – like myself – memorized it and sung it in our Soviet schools.
There are two main characters in the song: the petrel and the penguin. The petrel fights the storm, ‘soars with pride’, and as the wind picks up, perishes, but with its dignity intact. The penguin, on the other hand, ‘hides his fat body among the crags’, and therefore survives the storm. But the storm has other ideas. To rewrite Gorky’s song, we must add in verses that show how the storm now hunts the penguin as well – how there is no escape from the wrath of the storm. Artem Kirpichenok is a charming and impractical man who belonged to no political party and no activist group, who never donated money to any political cause or signed any statement. He published books about history and wrote mostly ironic posts on his personal Facebook page. He was not a penguin (he held strong views on a range of topics), but he was not a petrel either (he did not advertise his views for the wider public).
Impossible not to have a view on Israeli government policy these days, but Artem’s views are not so different than those held by the mainstream Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In which case, the question is what has Artem done and why has he been sitting in a Shin Bet prison without habeas corpus for a week? If Artem had been part of a movement or a public figure, then there would be press releases demanding his release. But he is a private individual. So, who will stand for someone like him?
To arrest Artem is to make private individuals afraid and to make them internalize their penguin-like condition, to shut up, and sit quietly in the corner. Arresting a bespectacled writer with a narrow audience is both easy and makes for a perfectly instructive example. Before Artem was arrested, it seemed to many of us – me included – that there were ‘anomaly zones’ out there: in those anomaly zones, one could be somewhat safe from arbitrary arrest. It was felt that as long as you did not cross certain well understood line, you could write, read, and speak about pretty much anything. Don’t join a party, don’t donate to certain organizations, don’t say certain things. But the lines that seemed to exist have now been erased and what you whisper in your kitchen can now get you into a prison cell.
The everyday curdles into a nightmare. The kitchen and the prison are becoming the same room. We have become like frogs that do not notice that the water in which they are swimming has started to come to a boil. We have made straightforward cannibalism normal.
When Artem was arrested, his old blog opponents said, what did he expect, going to Israel, when he could have sat quietly in Petersburg and minded his own business. Sorry. That’s just the attitude of the frog. There are no safe places left. There are no crags left to hide a penguin. Artem is not the hero-petrel. He is much more like the penguin. And so, it is now getting clear to us, that the penguin hunt has begun. Anyone at all can be picked up and tossed into the darkness.
Gorky did not know much about penguins. Although they look defenseless, they can stand their ground as a pack and peck their way out of trouble; in water, penguins are agile and fast, forming ‘rafts’ to beat adversaries and escape. Artem needs his penguins to act in unison. Please make noise for him.
Nika Dubrovsky is the director of the David Graeber Institute.
Nika Dubrovsky is an artist and writer. She is the founder of the David Graeber Institute and the editor of Graeber books.
August 10, 2026
In the Dungeons of Zion: How to Fall into the Clutches of SHABAK, or the Situation of Artem Kirpichenok
“I have known Artem personally for over twenty years. We met in Israel when he came there to study, and we collaborated extensively. He is a profound, honest researcher and a left-wing intellectual. His books A People's History of Israel and Israel: The Road to Catastrophe are serious, high-quality historical analyses written from Marxist, internationalist positions. Artem has always consistently advocated for a single democratic state for two peoples and against the oppression of Palestinians. What happened to him on August 2 at Ben Gurion Airport is pure lawlessness by the security forces.
He was detained by the Israeli security agency SHABAK. The man was thrown into custody, completely isolated from the outside world in an incommunicado status, without any official charges being brought against him, and for a long time, an independent lawyer was denied access. A gag order (isur pirsum) has been placed on the case. The secret services can hold a person in such isolation for weeks, extending detention in closed hearings under the pretext of 'investigative secrecy,' where even the lawyer cannot see what exactly their client is suspected of. This makes a normal legal defense impossible.
All this is happening against the backdrop of a profound right-wing shift within Israel itself. The Netanyahu government and ultra-right radicals have consistently bent the security apparatus to their will. A large-scale personnel purge took place: the old leadership of the special services was replaced with loyal appointees of the right-wing radical coalition. On the eve of the October elections, this regime vitally needs a high-profile trial, the image of an 'internal enemy' and a 'national traitor' to mobilize the radical electorate.
First and foremost, maximum publicity is needed. We must write to human rights organizations. There is Amnesty International, and there are Israeli human rights organizations — for example, B'Tselem or the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). We need to submit applications there and draw their attention. It is absolutely necessary to contact international and major Russian-language media to spread the word about this situation. If anyone has access to European or American journalists, human rights defenders, left-wing activists, or professors — utilize them. Artem must not be left one-on-one with the secret services in this informational silence. The main goal right now is to break the blockade and make the case public.”
Mikhail Magid — publicist, researcher, historian, Middle East scholar, columnist for the Russian publications Republic, Svobodnaya Pressa, Rabkor, and Azerbaijani media resources Caliber.Az, Zerkalo.Az, Eurasia Diary, and STMEGI.
From an interview on the "KD" (Krasnye Dyadki) channel — an independent Russian socio-political media resource.
August 12, 2026
Regarding the situation with Artem Kirpichenok
Today, mutual acquaintances sent me this text.
I would be grateful for shares and reposts.
"Following numerous appeals and extensive efforts (with immense gratitude to defense attorney Inna Lebedinskaya-Katz), a lawyer was finally granted access to Artem three weeks after his arrest. He is currently being held in the SHABAK (Shin Bet) detention facility in Petah Tikva.
The meeting lasted about an hour. Artem is in tolerable physical condition and is under the supervision of prison doctors. He does not complain about his health, although he is exhausted, drained, and in a depressed state. He is subjected to hours-long interrogations lasting 18 to 24 hours (sleep deprivation, by the way, is classified as torture under all international conventions). He sits handcuffed, hunched over on an iron stool welded to the floor, while 3 or 4 interrogators standing behind him conduct the questioning with shouting and intense psychological pressure. They threaten him with life imprisonment and try to convince him that everyone has abandoned and forgotten him, but he understands this is not true and is holding on. He sends his regards to everyone and urges no one to travel to Israel.
He is being kept in a basement cell with harsh artificial light turned on 24/7, so he loses track of day and night...
Almost everything is forbidden: books, notebooks, pencils, pens, etc. The lawyer was even banned from bringing a single piece of paper to the meeting, so she had to memorize everything by ear.
The exact wording of the charges has not yet been announced, and the case files have not been presented. A gag order (isur pirsum) on any publications and information remains in effect until Thursday. One key detail: contrary to the clamor of Zionist commentators, his past trips to Iran did not particularly interest the Shin Bet officers. They will clearly bring charges on other legal grounds. Judging by the fact that the lawyer was allowed in, the 'investigation' appears to be nearing completion.
Artem asked to reach out to various comrades for help, but because he was inside a glass booth, the lawyer could not hear the names clearly, and there was no opportunity to ask for clarification."
By the way: I remember very well how mercenaries and agents of influence from that side repeatedly wrote to me, saying, "Come to our Southern Neighborhood, don't be afraid."
I am not afraid, but I know for a fact that they have shelves of files on me... so I am definitely not going there.
Anhar Kochneva — Middle East regional expert, orientalist, and military correspondent.
Socio-political and military analysis of conflicts in the Levant region (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan). Fluent in Arabic, she has lived and worked directly in the region for many years.
Worked as a stringer and independent reporter for leading media outlets (NTV, REN TV, RT). Author of a series of historical books and travel guides on the Middle East.
August 24, 2026
The original article was published on the author's Yandex Zen channel "Anhar" https://dzen.ru/a/aow3Os87TG0wWmgu
You are Not Allowed to Criticise Israel. The Case of Artyom Kirpichenok
On 2 August, the Russian-Israeli historian Artyom Kirpichenok landed in Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. He disembarked from a flight from Yerevan (Armenia) and expected to be in Israel for a conference. Kirpichenok’s friends lost contact with him from that moment on. A few days later, Russia’s Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said that Kirpichenok had been picked up by Israel’s Shin Bet (or Shabak, the security service); this was confirmed by former State Duma representative and journalist Daria Mitina. Friends and colleagues speculated as to why Kirpichenok had been detained. Many felt it was because he had travelled to Iran previously and others felt it was because of his criticisms of Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians. Shabak made no public comment. Kirpichenok was not permitted to meet a lawyer.
Three weeks into his arrest, on 23 August, Kirpichenok’s lawyer, Inna Lebedinskaya-Katz, met with him at Petah Tikva, a Shabak detention centre. Shabak has placed a publication ban or a gag order (איסור פרסום) on information about the case. There has been no public confirmation of a charge against Kirpichenok. During the hour-long meeting, Kirpichenok told his lawyer about what he has experienced over the past three weeks. Three to four Shabak agents are taking turns to interrogate him violently for eighteen-to-twenty-four-hour blocs. He is not permitted to sleep (the lights are on all the time) and is kept handcuffed on an iron stool that is welded to the floor. Kirpichenok has been told that he has been abandoned and forgotten by his friends and that he faces life imprisonment.
Lebedinskaya-Katz was not permitted to bring a notebook or a piece of paper into the cell and had to memorise her conversation which she has now reported. She said that Kirpichenok is in tolerable physical condition, ‘although he is exhausted, tormented, and deeply depressed’. When told that his friends have not abandoned him, Kirpichenok sent his greetings and said that no one should come to Israel.
When Shabak Looks at Palestinians
It has become clear that Kirpichenok’s trip to Iran is not the issue here. The problem is, it appears, that Kirpichenok is deeply critical of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians. Shabak has been through his social media and is seeking to get a ‘confession’ from him during the violent interrogations. It’s the typical nonsense. If he comes to trial, the indictment will contain the usual garbage and will include statements elicited under torture. Since October 2023, Shabak has summoned at least twenty Israeli protestors for interrogation over their protests and social media criticism of the Israeli government. But this is just a drop in the bucket.
Kirpichenok would be the first to accept that despite the harshness of his experience it is nothing like what has been experienced by the Palestinians – the carnage in Gaza, certainly, but also the violence visited upon the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
If we just stay with interrogations over social media posts, Shabak and allied agencies of the Israelis state have arrested over 1400 Palestinians mostly those who are citizens of Israel or residents in occupied East Jerusalem. Around 96% of all Israeli ‘incitement’ investigations under the Ben-Gvir authority targeted Palestinian citizens or East Jerusalem Palestinians. In just the first five weeks after October 2023, Adalah documented 251 Palestinian citizens of Israel subjected to arrest, interrogation, or ‘warning talks’. Of these, 121 cases concerned social media activity and 31 their presence at demonstrations. At least 84 were interrogated by the police or Shabak and released, while another 132 were held through court proceedings. Adalah stresses that its count is incomplete and excludes those arrested in occupied East Jerusalem.
Even within the realm of Israeli law, Shabak has increasingly exceeded its security mandate by treating lawful Palestinian speech, journalism, and political activity as potential terrorism. It summons citizens, including minors, for ostensibly voluntary ‘warning conversations’ without explaining that attendance is not compulsory. Interrogators have questioned people about social-media posts, Quranic verses, music, political affiliations and journalism, while threatening home raids, violence, or deportation to Gaza. In detention centres, Palestinian journalists report brutal interrogation, stress positions, beatings, sleep deprivation, and threats against their families. These practices violate due process, freedom of expression, and protections against torture. Israeli civil-rights organisations argue that Shabak is operating unlawfully as an instrument of political intimidation. But this has become utterly normal in Israeli society.
It is into this net that Kirpichenok has landed, and his case is perhaps the most puzzling since he is an Israeli citizen and not Palestinian, and he does carry a Russian passport and lives in Russia. One would have imagined that Shabak might have detained Kirpichenok, spoken sternly to him, and then released him or prevented him entry into Israel (deporting him on his Russian passport). But instead, they have given him the full Shabak treatment. There is no evidence that he will be released at any point soon. This is evidence, along with the treatment of the Gaza Flotilla activists, that Israel has gone beyond punishment of the entire Palestinian population. The Israeli state is now prepared to treat anyone, even a person marginally critical of its genocidal war, as a threat to the state. This is the Israel of today.
Vijay Prashad — Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. His most recent book (with Grieve Chelwa) is How the International Monetary Fund Suffocates Africa (from Inkani Books).
August 25, 2026
Excerpt from the article: https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/25/you-are-not-allowed-to-criticise-israel-the-case-of-artyom-kirpichenok
The HRC has appealed to the UN regarding the detention of Russian historian Artem Kirpichenok in Israel
The HRC Permanent Commission on International Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights has appealed to Matthew Gillett, Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, regarding the arrest of Russian historian Artem Kirpichenok at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.
On August 2, he arrived in Tel Aviv from Yerevan and subsequently ceased all communication. He held a return ticket for August 8. Information later emerged that Kirpichenok (who also holds Israeli citizenship) is being held by the Israeli secret police, SHABAK.
In the appeal, signed by the Chairman of the HRC, Valery Fadeev, human rights advocates point out that the grounds for the detention are arbitrary:
🔻 The reasons for the detention and his procedural status have not been made public;
🔻 No official charges have been brought;
🔻 The case materials have not been disclosed.
"The detention was carried out by the SHABAK security service, which in Israeli practice is typically associated with suspicions of offenses against state security. This gives reason to believe that the detention is motivated by his political views. Such a step constitutes a gross violation of the right to freedom of expression (Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ICCPR).
Access to legal counsel and the ability to review the case files remain heavily restricted. Artem Kirpichenok is denied the opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of his detention in court, as the grounds for his arrest are classified.
His health condition is of particular concern: he suffers from hypertension with a risk of retinal detachment, which requires continuous medical supervision," the letter states.
In this regard, the relevant HRC commission calls on the UN to submit an appeal to the Israeli authorities demanding that they:
🔹 Clarify the legal grounds for Kirpichenok's detention;
🔹 Ensure immediate access to a lawyer and qualified medical assistance;
🔹 Provide information regarding his conditions of detention;
🔹 Request the case materials;
🔹 Declare the detention arbitrary if no satisfactory response is provided.
The Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC)
August 28, 2026
Russia Appealed to the UN, Claiming: "Russian Historian Detained by ISA, We Demand an Explanation"
In Russia, demands are being made to know the fate of Artem Kirpichenok, who criticized government policies, landed in Israel on August 2, and subsequently disappeared. The appeal to the UN noted that the grounds for his arrest remain unknown, and requested that he be allowed to meet with a lawyer and receive medical treatment: "There is reason to believe that the detention stems from his political views."
The Kremlin's Human Rights Council (HRC) appealed to the UN last week regarding the detention of Russian historian Artem Kirpichenok, who, according to his associates, disappeared in Israel earlier this month. According to the appeal, Kirpichenok was detained at Ben Gurion Airport by the Israel Security Agency (ISA / Shin Bet) shortly after landing.
The Council called on the UN to contact the Israeli authorities to demand explanations regarding the grounds for Kirpichenok's arrest, as well as to grant him immediate access to a lawyer and qualified medical treatment. In addition, Russia requested information on his detention conditions, a request for investigation materials, and a statement from the UN declaring the detention "arbitrary" unless a "satisfactory response" is received from Israel.
Days before the official appeal, activists in Russia launched a campaign for the historian, who frequently criticized Israel. In the past week, a series of petitions concerning his fate were published, calling on Russian authorities to become more involved in order to obtain details.
According to activists, the reasons for the Russian citizen's arrest and his procedural status have not been published, no official indictments have been filed, and the case materials have not been disclosed. In Russia's appeal, which was quoted by official channels in the country, the arrest was carried out by the ISA, noting that the agency's detentions are "usually conducted due to suspicions of crimes against national security."
"This fact gives reason to believe that the detention stems from his political views," the document stated. "Such a step constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to freedom of expression (Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)."
Details published in Russia indicate that Kirpichenok landed at Ben Gurion Airport on a flight from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on August 2. All attempts by his associates to contact him have failed. Three days after he allegedly disappeared, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov told the Russian state news agency TASS that "Russian diplomats are monitoring the situation," but there have been no official references from Russia since then. Israeli authorities have also not commented on the matter.
Kirpichenok (51) was born in St. Petersburg and immigrated to Israel in the 1990s. He graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and, about 15 years after his immigration, returned to live in Russia. He adopted a highly critical stance against the State of Israel and wrote extensively against the country and against Zionism.
Itamar Eichner
August 30, 2026
BREAKING: Shin Bet Disappears Russian-Israeli Academic
Russian-Israeli historian, Artyom Kirpichonok, entered Israel on August 2nd for an academic conference. He’d flown there from the Armenian capital, Yerevan. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Earlier today, Israeli media first reported that he’d disappeared into the Shin Bet’s underground cells. His lawyer hasn’t been permitted to visit him for three weeks.
Such kidnappings aren’t a one-off occurrence. The Shin Bet has often arrested Israelis in secret, held them incommunicado for weeks, then tried and imprisoned them (also in secret). Anat Kamm, Marcus Klingberg, Tomer Eiges, Ben Zygier are only a few of them.
According to recent Russian media reports, Kirpichonok was brutally interrograted there for 18-24 hours a day. As a result, he signed unspecified statements under duress. This account describes his mistreatment:
"Three to four Shabak agents are taking turns to interrogate him violently for eighteen-to-twenty-four-hour blocs. He is not permitted to sleep (the lights are on all the time) and is kept handcuffed on an iron stool that is welded to the floor. Kirpichenok has been told that he has been abandoned and forgotten by his friends and that he faces life imprisonment…
The problem is, it appears, that Kirpichenok is deeply critical of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians. Shabak has been through his social media and is seeking to get a ‘confession’ from him during the violent interrogations".
Until today, no one in Israel knew (except a few journalists) about this incident. Reporting on it was forbidden by the military censor. The State broadcaster, Kan, broke the story earlier today and portions of the case have been reported. Though the reason for the arrest is still under censorship.
A Haaretz reporter tweeted that the outlet had filed a petition to remove military censorship. But the judges dragged their heels, treating the case as a hot potato and each judge declined to take the case and passed it to another. A month went by and just when the court appeared that it might rule, the Shin Bet came along and demanded it continue the censorship directive. This is how things work in a State of Fear.
Why would the Shin Bet arrest him? Three main possibilities:
1. Kirpichonok immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1991. He served in the IDF and earned a PhD degree in Middle East history from the Hebrew University. He became a leftist activist and member of Hadash, a left-wing Jewish-Palestinian party. Later, he returned to Russia. Israel’s state broadcaster describes him as “anti-Zionist.” In 2018, he made two trips to Iran
The Knesset passed a law recently criminalizing support for BDS. Other anti-Zionist views were prohibited.
Also, Israelis are prohibited from having contact with “enemies of the state.” Since Shin Bet boss, David Zini, is a Judeo-Nazi, he might have sought to make an example of Kirpichonok by charging him as having contact with Iran. Further, the Shin Bet may have hoped he would expose any contacts he had or intelligence he might provide.
Given his anti-Zionist views, Zini could certainly have sought to make an example of him. Only in police states do they arrest professors for holding views the ruling elite considers anathema. Apparently, Israel has become such a state.
Russia has appealed to the UN asserting the arrest is political in nature:
"…The [Russian human rights] council said Kirpichonok had been detained by the Shin Bet and noted that arrests by the agency are “usually connected to suspicions of crimes against state security. This fact gives reason to believe that the detention stems from his political views,” the appeal said. “Such a step constitutes a gross violation of the right to freedom of expression,” citing Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights".
2. Eight years ago, Kirpichonok made two visits to Iran. Given Israel’s war of aggression, the Shin Bet may accuse him of further contacts with an enemy state. Though accusations based on visits nearly a decade ago seems like a very thin reed on which to hang a prosecution.
3. Given Israel’s ongoing war on Iran, it may be using Kirpichonok as a hostage, expressing its displeasure at Russian support for Iran. The former has provided substantial military weaponry for Iran in its retaliatory attacks against the US and Israel:
"Russia [is] Iran’s top military supplier of armored vehicles, combat aircraft, submarines, and air-defense systems. Throughout Operation Epic Fury, Moscow has continued to produce and deliver fighter jets for the Iranian air force as well as train its pilots. Russia has delivered advanced fiber-optic drone components to Iran — technology that could inflict significant casualties on the US and our partners that Tehran has also passed on to its Middle Eastern proxies. In addition, Moscow has committed to supply Tehran with hundreds of man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and thousands of missiles.
Russia has [provided] expanded intelligence sharing as well as satellite imagery to aid Tehran’s targeting of US forces…Russian orbital surveillance assets captured images of the UK-US base on Diego Garcia, NATO’s Incirlik base in Turkey, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and oil and natural gas fields in Saudi Arabia — all locations subsequently attacked by Iran. Russian intelligence services also provided Iran with a list of 55 critical energy infrastructure targets in Israel".
If this is the reason for the Shabak kidnapping, it would be a pathetic attempt to make Kirpichonok “only a pawn in their game.”
Richard Silverstein
August 30, 2026
https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2026/08/30/shin-bet-disappears-russian-israeli-academic
Russian-Israeli historian Artem Kirpichenok detained by Israeli secret service
On August 2, upon arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel, Russian-Israeli historian and journalist Artem Kirpichenok, known as an outspoken critic of Zionism, was abducted by the Israeli secret service Shin Bet. According to his lawyer, the charges will be revealed on September 4. A request to transfer him to house arrest was denied.
Based on accounts of friends, Kirpichenok only traveled to Israel because he had been invited to a conference. However, after his abduction, his friends could not verify that this conference even existed. Moreover, they charge that he was denied access to a defense lawyer for 10 days, including during two hearings on the imposition of pre-trial measures. They launched a petition calling for his release.
The Russian Embassy issued a notice to the Israeli government upon his arrest and has since also brought his case before the UN Commissioner for Human Rights. According to the former State Duma Deputy and Stalinist, Daria Mitina, Kirpichenok is faced with “life in prison.” His lawyers indicate that he does receive medical care but that he is extremely exhausted.
The World Socialist Web Site unequivocally condemns the abduction of Kirpichenok and calls on its readers to demand his immediate release. Kirpichenok’s arrest is an attack on the democratic rights of the entire working class and speaks to the utter lawlessness and criminality with which the Israeli state suppresses its critics, regardless of their faith and nationality.
Kirpichenok is the author of books such as A People’s History of Israel (2019), a collection of popular written articles, which was printed in a small run of 1,000 copies in Russian. In his preface, Kirpichenok emphasized that the victims of the Zionist project include “not only the Palestinians, but also many Jews who, while they have not become cannon fodder, are subject to discrimination [within Israel] such as ‘Mizrahim’, ‘the Ethiopians’ and ‘the Russians’.” Articles in the book highlight the role of the imperialist powers in establishing the state of Israel and the violent suppression of the early Palestinian communist movement by both Britain and the Zionists.
In recent years, Kirpichenok has published academic articles on a variety of subjects, including the Israeli support for Kurdish groups during the Syrian Civil War. He also worked as a tour guide in St. Petersburg and wrote a Russian column for the Turkish state-funded media outlet TRT. He was often invited on Russian TV and smaller podcast shows as an expert on the history of the Jews and the politics of the Middle East. He traveled to Iran twice, but it is not clear whether these trips may have a relation to his arrest.
Kirpichenok was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), but his parents moved to Israel when he was young and he grew up in Jerusalem. He completed his mandatory military service with the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and obtained a PhD from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem before eventually moving back to Russia in 2005. According to media reports, he used to be a member of the Communist Party of Israel (“Maki”). In Russia, he was active in the Committee for a Marxist International and later the Stalinist Revolutionary Workers’ Party. According to his friend, the writer and artist Nika Dubrovsky, Kirpichenok had recently not been affiliated with any political organization.
Discussing the implications of his arrest on counterpunch.org, Dubrovsky wrote,
"To arrest Artem is to make private individuals afraid and to make them internalize their penguin-like condition, to shut up, and sit quietly in the corner. Arresting a bespectacled writer with a narrow audience is both easy and makes for a perfectly instructive example. Before Artem was arrested, it seemed to many of us—me included—that there were “anomaly zones” out there: in those anomaly zones, one could be somewhat safe from arbitrary arrest. It was felt that as long as you did not cross certain well understood lines, you could write, read, and speak about pretty much anything. Don’t join a party, don’t donate to certain organizations, don’t say certain things. But the lines that seemed to exist have now been erased and what you whisper in your kitchen can now get you into a prison cell".
On her Twitter/X page, Dubrovsky also posted a statement from Kirpichenok’s lawyer, describing how Kirpichenok was transported to the latest court hearing.
"They led him bent almost double, with shackles on his wrists and ankles and a heavy weight attached to the chains. Looking at Artem, I kept remembering Dostoyevsky’s novels and everything nineteenth-century Russian literature wrote about prisoners sent to penal colonies. I was deeply upset, and I will not hide that from you. In ten years of legal practice and working in the courts, I have never seen anyone escorted like this. Even people accused of murder are not treated this way. This is unprecedented. I have never seen anything like it".
The Israeli internal security service Shin Bet is a central component of the Israeli state’s violent suppression of the Palestinian population and any form of opposition to it. It is notorious for its brutal methods of interrogation. It routinely uses physical and psychological coercion, including by cuffing detainees to low chairs in contorted postures and forcing them to stay in this position for protracted periods of time; sleep deprivation and isolation; beatings and threats. B’Tselem, an Israeli NGO, documented the extraordinary abuse of Palestinians in the hands of Shin Bet in two reports from 2024 and 2026, entitled, “Welcome to Hell” and “Living Hell,” respectively. On its website, B’Tselem describes the Israeli prison system as a “network of torture camps,” detailing the systematic torture and rape of Palestinian detainees.
The agency is also systematically spying on the population to detect and suppress dissent. A Haaretz investigation recently revealed that a former Shin Bet operative heads an Education Ministry committee that monitors left-wing and Arab educators for their political speech, protests and social media posts. At least one educator, Meir Baruchin, was fired from his jobs for criticizing the genocide, and later held in a high security prison. According to a January 2024 article in the Guardian, hundreds of Israeli citizens of different professions and origin were arrested and jailed, fired from their jobs or denied access to education in the first months since October 7, 2023, because of social media posts.
The arrest of Kirpichenok marks a new escalation in the violent assault on anti-Zionist and anti-war opposition within Israel and more broadly. It is part of an intensifying attack on democratic rights, aimed at suppressing any opposition to war and far-right nationalism by governments internationally. In Ukraine, the Trotskyist Bogdan Syrotiuk was sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence for articles opposing the NATO-Russia war in Ukraine and the glorification of Ukrainian neo-Nazis. This attack on democratic rights and free speech is an integral component of the developing world war, which makes any and all open opposition to the policies of war, fascism and nationalism, dangerous. The demand for Kirpichenok’s release must, therefore be taken up by workers internationally as part of the fight to release political prisoners everywhere and stop the emerging third world war.
Clara Weiss
September 2, 2026
