Mon 13 February 2023:
The United States has told its citizens on Sunday (12 February) to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.
“Do not travel to Russia due to … the potential for harassment and the singling out of US citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, the embassy’s limited ability to assist US citizens in Russia, and the possibility of terrorism,” an embassy statement read on Sunday.
It said US citizens residing or traveling in Russia should leave the country immediately, and exercise increased caution due to “the risk of wrongful detentions.”
“The US government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to US citizens in Russia is severely limited, particularly in areas far from the US Embassy in Moscow, due to Russian government limitations on travel for embassy personnel and staffing, and the ongoing suspension of operations, including consular services, at US consulates,” it noted.
The press release said Russia may refuse to acknowledge US citizenship of dual nationals and may “subject them to mobilization, prevent their departure from Russia, and/or conscript them.”
It added that US credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia and that commercial flight options are extremely limited and often unavailable on short notice, urging US citizens to make independent arrangements “as soon as possible.”
US citizens should avoid “all political or social protests and not photograph security personnel at these events,” it said.
A number of US citizens have been detained on criminal charges in Russia in recent years, with some ultimately freed in exchange for Russians detained in the United States. In December, US basketball star Brittney Griner was freed after being sentenced to 9 years in prison on drug charges.
She was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who spent 14 years in US jail for arms trafficking, money laundering and conspiring to kill Americans.
However, espionage cases are seen as especially fraught, with Russian security services often unwilling to release those it accuses of being spies.
Russia has so far refused to swap US Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, who was arrested by the FSB in 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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