Andrey X, (Andrey Khrzhanovskiy), is a Russian-Israeli journalist and human rights activist known for documenting Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. He is originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, but was in Israel when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Because he wrote critically about Russia in the past, he easily sought and obtained Israeli citizenship for the sole reason that he is Jewish. His activism against ethnic cleansing and ongoing genocide has led to multiple arrests and legal cases, and he has been publicly criticized by Israeli officials. Andrey X is an activist and journalist with a large social-media following who documents events in Israel and Palestine.

Timeline of the incidents:

On November 30, 2024, he posted a video showing himself placing a “Free Palestine” sticker on a wooden beam at a lookout point in Sderot, a site where Israeli visitors or zionist tourists observe the bombardment of Gaza. The area, which later became politically sensitive, was not clearly marked as part of a military memorial.

So, On December 12, 2024, nearly two weeks later, plainclothes police arrested Andrey in Tel Aviv, forcing him into an unmarked vehicle. He reports being threatened, beaten, strip-searched multiple times, and denied food and water while detained overnight at a police station in Sderot. He was initially charged with vandalism and disturbing public order, with police claiming the sticker defaced a memorial. Although a judge first ordered his release, police appealed, and Andrey was held three additional days and faced new charges, including assaulting a police officer and “desecrating a memorial,” all of which he denies. He was eventually released on 5,000 shekels bail, banned for 30 days from all Israeli military memorial sites, and remains subject to further questioning. Despite limited Hebrew, no translator was provided during his detention or trial. Authorities openly framed the arrest as political. After the video was posted, Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf publicly called Andrey an “extreme leftist activist” and urged police to stop his activities. Police documents cited both this statement and the pro-Palestinian content of the sticker as justification for the arrest. Andrey’s lawyer, Shahadeh Ibn Beri of the Human Rights Defenders’ Fund, described the case as politically motivated, fueled by incitement and slander from far-right figures and settlers.

On December 16, 2024, Andrey published a long tweet about his exprience in jail and the abuses that were committed on him. “This is crystal clear political persecution,” Andrey said, adding that jail was devastating not only because of physical abuse, but because of “the sense of your humanity being stripped from you, and the complete loss of agency and autonomy. The Sepcial UN Rapporteur oPt Franceska Albanese commented : "Yes you are right, what Palestinians endure in Israeli jails is far worse and yet, this does not justify what you are experiencing. Assaulting those who oppose apartheid is apartheid itself, and Israeli policies are becoming more destructive for everyone with every passing day: including its Jewish citizens. Stay strong, you are not alone. Neither you nor the Palestinians. We will bring down apartheid, from both sides, brick by brick."

On February 5, 2026,

Andrey was arrested by Israeli police while covering an anti-Zionist demonstration near the Gaza border. A soldier accused him of assault, suggesting the arrest was politically targeted. He was released after several hours, likely because he holds an Israeli passport. He states later that Palestinian journalists face far harsher treatment, including assassination, detention, and torture, underscoring the dangers of reporting under occupation.