Statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry

On August 19, a terrorist attack was carried out on the Hayat Hotel located in the central district of the Somali capital Mogadishu, as a result of which, according to the Somali Ministry of Health, 21 people were killed and 117 were injured of varying severity.

We strongly condemn this bloody crime, the victims of which were civilians and a number of Somali civil servants. We express our solidarity with the people and Government of Somalia, we offer our deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims, and we wish a speedy recovery to the victims at the hands of terrorists.

We support the continuation of international efforts to assist the Somali Government in strengthening the capacity of national security structures and taking additional measures to ensure security in Mogadishu.

According to the Russian Embassy in Djibouti, which concurrently represents our interests in Somalia, there are no Russian citizens among the victims.