Russia Appeals to UN Over Detention of Russian Historian After Landing in Israel

Pressure is mounting in Russia over the detention in Israel of historian Artyom Kirpichyonok. Last week, the Kremlin’s Human Rights Council appealed to the UN, demanding clarification from Israeli authorities about the grounds for his detention and asking that he be given immediate access to a lawyer and qualified medical care. According to Kirpichyonok’s associates, the Shin Bet detained him shortly after he arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport, and the case is now drawing involvement from official bodies as well.

In its appeal, Russia demanded that the circumstances of his detention be clarified. The UN was asked to contact Israeli authorities and demand an explanation of the grounds on which he is being held, as well as to work to ensure he is given immediate access to a lawyer and qualified medical care.

The official appeal came after activists in Russia launched a public campaign for Kirpichyonok in the preceding days. He is known for his sharp criticism of Israel and Zionism over the years. Several petitions concerning his fate were published over the past week, including calls for Russian authorities to increase their involvement in trying to determine what happened to him and what his condition is.

According to details published in Russia, Kirpichyonok arrived in Israel on a flight from Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, in early August. Since his arrival, his family members and associates have been unable to contact him. The accompanying reports list two different arrival dates: August 2 and August 4. Russian activists say that, so far, neither the reasons for his detention nor his status in the legal process have been made public; no formal indictment has been filed, and case materials have not been disclosed. The Russian appeal, quoted by official channels in the country, claimed that Kirpichyonok was detained by the Shin Bet.

Three days after his alleged disappearance, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov addressed the matter. In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS, he said that “Russian diplomats are monitoring the situation.” Since then, Russia has made no further official statements on the case, and Israeli authorities have not commented either.

Kirpichyonok, 51, was born in St. Petersburg and immigrated to Israel in the 1990s. He studied at the Hebrew University, and about 15 years after immigrating to Israel, he returned to live in Russia. Over the years, he adopted a highly critical position toward the State of Israel and repeatedly published writings against the country and Zionism. According to Haaretz, he belongs to a small left-wing communist faction in Russia that supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine.