Russia's People's Artist Bondarchuk thanks Azerbaijani president for aid in Iranian evacuation PHOTO

Renowned Russian film director and People's Artist of Russia Fyodor Bondarchuk has expressed deep gratitude to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his assistance in evacuating Russian artists from Iran amid escalating regional tensions.

Bondarchuk made the remarks at the Astara border crossing on June 14, where evacuations of foreign nationals are ongoing, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

“Many people helped organise this process,” Bondarchuk said. “First of all, I would like to thank Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the Russian Embassy in Iran and the Russian Ministry of Culture.”

Bondarchuk was among those evacuated from Iran, along with 51 musicians from the Russian Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra, who had been performing in Tehran and Isfahan as part of the Russian Culture Days.

Also among the evacuees were members of Bondarchuk’s film crew, who had been in Iran filming the television series Hard to Be a God (based on the science fiction novel by the Soviet writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky).

Just a day earlier, it was reported that Azerbaijan had responded positively to appeals from several countries seeking help in evacuating their citizens from Iran, where security conditions have rapidly deteriorated following military escalations.

On the night of June 13, Israel launched a major military operation — codenamed Rising Lion —targeting Iranian cities. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes later that evening. In light of the developments, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued an urgent call for Russian nationals to leave dangerous areas in both Iran and Israel, and advised against any non-essential travel to the two countries.

By Tamilla Hasanova