Russia’s Vladimir Putin called the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of US and Israeli strikes on Iran a “cynical murder” that violated “all norms of human morality and international law”. Given the Russian president’s record, his statement reeks of cynical double standards. Since then, though, beyond reportedly providing intelligence to assist Iran’s retaliation against US and allied targets, Putin has been largely quiet about the attacks on a country with which he signed a strategic partnership last year. The Russian leader is presumably following Napoleon’s maxim: never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
俄罗斯的弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)称美以在空袭伊朗的首日炸死阿亚图拉•阿里•哈梅内伊(Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)是“极其冷血的谋杀”，违反了“所有人类道德和国际法准则”。鉴于这位俄罗斯总统自身的所作所为，他的表态充满了虚伪的双重标准。自那以来，除据称提供情报以协助伊朗对美国及盟友目标进行报复外，普京基本上一直对一个他去年才与之签署战略伙伴关系的国家遭攻击保持沉默。这位俄罗斯领导人想必是在遵循拿破仑(Napoleon)的格言：当你的敌人犯错时，绝不要打断他。