Following Israel's initial strikes on Iran, Russia has evacuated several of its citizens from the Islamic Republic and suspended activity at their Tehran consulate, The Moscow Times reported Sunday.
"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," the Russian Embassy in Tehran posted to Telegram.
Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova also posted to Telegram, noting that musicians from the Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra were evacuated.
"The musicians crossed the Azerbaijani border. Yesterday, Fyodor Bondarchuk's film crew left Iran via the same route," she said on Telegram.
Russia, which has diplomatic ties to both Israel and Iran, ordered its civil aviation authority to suspend flights to the countries, as well as to Jordan and Iraq, until June 26.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has since condemned Israel's provocative strikes and has described the situation as a "dangerous escalation" in the Middle East.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.