An Israeli citizen was indicted for unspecified actions threatening national security undertaken on behalf of a foreign government, the State Prosecutor’s Office publicized on Friday.
According to the indictment, the Israeli was arrested by the Israel Police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on suspicion of taking actions threatening Israel’s security. During the ensuing interrogation, their connection to an unnamed foreign government was discovered.
Shin Bet declined The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment on the case beyond official prosecution or court papers.
Russian reports on historian Artyom Kirpichenok
Last month, Russian-Israeli historian Artyom Kirpichenok went missing in Israel after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport from Yerevan, the Post reported at that time.
A report issued from the Russian anti-regime media outlet Meduza claimed on Friday that Kirpichenok was arrested by Shin Bet upon landing in Israel.
According to the report, Kirpichenok is suspected of maintaining contact with a foreign intelligence agent and is facing espionage charges.
Sources connected to Kirpichenok’s family told a Russian news outlet that the allegations of espionage are unfounded. They asserted that the suspicions stem from his connections to Russia, where he has lived since 2005.
The family source emphasized that there is no “Arab element” in the case and argued that Russia is not an enemy state to Israel, noting that the two countries maintain intelligence cooperation.
“Russia is no stranger to Israel,” the family source told Meduza. “They conduct joint intelligence operations and share information with each other – despite tensions over Iran and other issues.”
Despite defending Kirpichenok’s international ties, the family acknowledged the charges are serious but said they can only speculate about the exact nature of the accusations.
“The very fact that he was imprisoned by the Shin Bet general security service indicates that he is suspected of crimes against state security,” the source said.
According to Meduza’s report, the alleged charges may be related to Kirpichenok’s 2018 visit to Iran, during which he posted about the trip on his social media accounts.
Meduza spoke with Kirpichenok’s friends about his trip, who allegedly confirmed that after visiting Iran, the historian traveled back to Israel several times and had “no problems at the border.”
Kirpichenok’s life in Israel
Kirpichenok immigrated to Israel in the 1990s and graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He lived in Israel for nearly 15 years before returning to Russia, where he took a critical stance on the Jewish state and Zionism.
In the years that followed, he returned to Israel periodically.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.