Moscow, May 20, 2024, The Europe Today: Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an urgent meeting at the Kremlin to personally assess and examine the circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. This extraordinary meeting took place late on Sunday night and included high-level officials from Russia’s defense and security sectors.
Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, revealed details of the meeting to IRNA, highlighting the gravity with which the Russian leadership is treating the incident. “Despite Sunday being a holiday in Russia, President Putin held a meeting at 10:00 PM with senior officials from the country’s defense and security apparatus. I was invited to attend this meeting as the ambassador of the Islamic Republic,” Jalali said.
Attendees included Russia’s Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov, Secretary of the National Security Council Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies, and Disaster Relief Alexander Korenkov, Special Assistant to the President Igor Levitin, and a senior official from the Federal Security Service.
“President Putin expressed profound sorrow over the accident and assured me that Russia would do everything necessary to assist,” Jalali conveyed. “He asked me to relay his heartfelt message to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, emphasizing Russia’s readiness to provide any required support.”
Putin informed the meeting that Russia had prepared two planes with 50 highly trained personnel and equipped climbers ready to deploy to the crash site. Additionally, two Russian helicopters stationed in Armenia are prepared to join the rescue operations on Monday morning.
Ambassador Jalali detailed the adverse weather conditions affecting the search efforts when asked by Putin about the incident specifics and whether any signals had been received from the downed helicopter. The meeting underscored the collaborative spirit and readiness of Russia to support Iran during this critical situation.
