After the strikes by the US and Israel on Iran and the subsequent reciprocal attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first official statement.
According to Medianews.az, in a condolence letter sent to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin described the killing of the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei as a "cynical murder that violates all norms of human ethics and international law."
Putin stated that Khamenei will be remembered in Russia as a "prominent statesman."
Moscow and Tehran have been considered main allies for many years. Iran has provided military support to Russia, including supplying drones and ballistic missiles. It has also participated in the establishment of a drone manufacturing plant in Russia during the war against Ukraine.
One day earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, calling them a "reckless step" and an "act of armed aggression."