Russia announced on Sunday that it had evacuated several of its citizens from Iran and suspended operations at its consulate in Tehran, following Israeli airstrikes that triggered retaliatory missile attacks towards Israel.
In a statement on Telegram, the Russian embassy in Tehran said, “Due to the current situation, the consular service of the embassy is temporarily suspending its activities. The resumption of consular services will be announced later.”
Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova confirmed that musicians from the Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra had been evacuated and had crossed the Azerbaijani border. She added that a film crew led by renowned Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuk had also departed Iran via the same route on Saturday.
Russia’s civil aviation authority instructed airlines to suspend all flights to Iran and Israel and to avoid flying over their airspace, as well as over Jordan and Iraq, until at least June 26. The directive followed official travel warnings issued on Friday.
Israel carried out extensive strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities early Friday, claiming the action aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
In response, Iran launched several salvos of missiles targeting Israeli territory.
President Vladimir Putin, who maintains diplomatic ties with both Iran and Israel, condemned the Israeli attacks and warned of a “dangerous escalation” in the Middle East.
