Activists in Russia say Artyom Kirpichenok, a Russian historian with Israeli citizenship, disappeared last week after arriving in Israel. In social media posts, the activists appealed to anyone with information about Kirpichenok’s whereabouts to help locate him.
According to information provided by his friends, Kirpichenok arrived in Israel last week on a flight from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, to attend an event to which he had been invited. After landing, however, he did not contact any of them and has not been heard from since. Reports indicate he arrived at Ben Gurion Airport from Yerevan on Aug. 2.
Artyom Kirpichenok
(Photo: Social media)
Kirpichenok, 51, was born in St. Petersburg and immigrated to Israel in the 1990s. He graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and returned to live in Russia about 15 years after moving to Israel. He later adopted a strongly critical stance toward Israel and frequently wrote against the country and Zionism.
The Russian Embassy in Israel told Russian Telegram channels that it had contacted Israeli authorities regarding Kirpichenok’s reported disappearance but had yet to receive a response. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov later confirmed that the embassy had submitted an inquiry to the relevant Israeli authorities.