Former IDF soldier and Middle East expert detained in Israel

Israel's internal security service, SHABAK, has detained Artem Kirpichenko, a St. Petersburg-based historian and Middle East specialist, according to Darya Mitina, secretary of the OKP and chair of the "New Labor" union. Detention Details Kirpichenko, who holds dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport from Yerevan on August 2. Mitina reported that communication with the historian was lost immediately upon arrival. For three days, his location remained unknown, and his communication devices were seized. Following search efforts by relatives and colleagues and the filing of a missing person report in Israel, it was determined that Kirpichenko is being held in a secret police detention center. The specific grounds for the arrest have not been disclosed, as his Israeli lawyer, Inna Led, is under a non-disclosure agreement.