After Israel launched a major campaign against Iran called The Lion Rising, Russian leaders called the escalating tensions in the Middle East dangerous and alarming.
However, Russian media quickly pointed out the potential benefits that developments in the Middle East bring to Moscow, including: World oil prices are expected to help Russia increase budget revenue; reduce public concern globally about the Russia-Ukraine war situation.
At the same time, in the event that Russia's proposal to become a mediator for the conflict in the Middle East is accepted, Russia can strengthen its role as a side promoting peace in the Middle East in particular and the world in general.
However, in addition to these positive signals, as the conflict in the Middle East continues, Russia faces the risk of more losses.
Scaling tensions poses many potential risks and potential losses for Moscow, Russian political researcher Andrei Kortunov commented in the Kommersant newspaper.
Andrei Kortunov pointed out that Russia is unlikely to deter an Israeli attack on a country that Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement to the region about five months ago.
The Russia-Iran strategic partnership agreement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this year does not include the two countries becoming military allies. Therefore, Moscow is not forced to stand up to protect Tehran.
In the first 6 months of 2025, Russia has lost an important ally in the Middle East - former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. After the collapse of the Syrian government last December, Bashar al-Assad has taken refuge in Russia.
With the current developments in the Middle East, the fate of Iran - a strategic partner of Russia in the region - will be especially important for Russia.
A commentary on developments in the Middle East in Moskovsky Komsomolets on June 17 emphasized that in the current international political context, a series of fluctuations are occurring every day, which are predicted to have the potential to indirectly or directly affect the Russian people.
