Russian-Israeli historian Artyom Kirpichenok, 51, reportedly disappeared after arriving in Israel last week.
Kirpichenok landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on August 2 on a flight from Yerevan.
He returned to Israel for a conference he was meant to host but has not been heard from since. Loved ones and colleagues who tried to contact him were unsuccessful.
Kirpichenok immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and lived in the country for nearly 15 years.
He then returned to Russia, where he adopted a critical stance about the Jewish state and Zionism.
Russian embassy says it contacted relevant Israeli authorities
Russia’s Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, said he had submitted a request to the relevant Israeli authorities but did not say whether he had heard back.
“We have taken note of reports published by several Russian media outlets concerning journalist and Middle East scholar Artem Kirpichenok, who was reportedly detained by law enforcement authorities in Israel on August 2,” a statement from Russia’s Embassy in Israel said.
“To date, the embassy has not received any inquiries from Kirpichenok’s relatives, friends, or colleagues. Nevertheless, we have submitted a relevant request to the appropriate Israeli authorities. We are monitoring the matter,” the embassy added.
Russian journalist and former State Duma representative Daria Mitina claimed that Kirpichenok was being held in prison by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service).
“Unfortunately, our worst fears have been confirmed. Artem Ivanovich Kirpichenok is in prison, in the custody of Israel’s Shin Bet security service,” she wrote, adding that the case needs “maximum public attention.”
