Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an unusually blunt warning to Israel, saying Moscow will “take very seriously” any action that endangers the hundreds of Russian nuclear specialists working at Iran’s Bushehr power plant.
Speaking after a security briefing in St. Petersburg, Putin confirmed that up to 600 Russian engineers and technicians including 250 permanent staff are stationed at Bushehr, Iran’s sole civilian reactor built and fuelled by Russia. He said Israel had already provided assurances of their safety but stressed that “any hostile move that puts our people at risk will draw an appropriate response.”
Israel and Iran have traded missile and drone strikes for more than a week, with Israeli leaders vowing to “hit all nuclear facilities” if necessary.
On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman briefly claimed Bushehr had been struck before retracting the remark a slip that prompted Russia’s state‑nuclear chief to warn of a potential “Chernobyl‑style disaster.”
Putin has since telephoned both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, condemning Israeli raids and insisting that all issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme “must be resolved strictly through diplomacy.”
Kremlin officials likened the warning to a “red card” in football: a final notice before penalties. While Putin did not spell out retaliatory measures, defence analysts say they could range from diplomatic censure to the deployment of additional air‑defence assets in Syria where Russian forces already operate close to Israeli flight paths.
“These specialists are civilians performing peaceful work under international supervision,” a senior Russian diplomat told reporters. “Their safety is non‑negotiable.”
An Israeli government source, speaking on background, said Jerusalem “recognises the presence of foreign nationals” at Bushehr and “has no intention of targeting them,” but reiterated that Israel will “act decisively against any Iranian activity that advances a bomb.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that a strike on an operating reactor could scatter radioactive materials across the Persian Gulf. European foreign ministers meeting in Geneva today urged “maximum restraint” as mediation efforts intensify.
Diplomacy Track: Russia says it will “maintain close contact” with both Tehran and Jerusalem to de‑escalate.
Military Posture: Bushehr remains on “pre‑mobilisation mode,” meaning evacuation plans are in place if strikes resume.
Regional Risk: Analysts fear any miscalculation could widen the Israel‑Iran conflict into a broader Middle‑East war drawing in world powers.
For now, Moscow’s message is unmistakable: Russia’s nuclear experts are a red line and any attack that crosses it could redraw the region’s already volatile map.
