US issues new travel warning for Russia, saying Americans may be targeted

Americans could face detention and arbitrary enforcement of local law, says State Department

The US State Department has issued a new travel advisory warning all its citizens against travelling to Russia, saying Americans could be targeted with “harassment” by government security officials in the country.

This could include “detention and the arbitrary enforcement of local law” said the department, adding that there was also a risk Americans’ mobility may be affected by “limited flights into and out of Russia”.

“US citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart Russia immediately,” said the department, as it informed them about the embassy’s limited ability to assist nationals in the country.

It cautioned that “the US credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia, and options to electronically transfer funds from the United States are extremely limited as a result of sanctions imposed on Russian banks”.

US citizens should make their own arrangements to leave the country, the department said, as it warned that “limited commercial flight options and overland routes by car and bus are still open and available”.

“The US Embassy has severe limitations on its ability to assist US citizens, and conditions, including transportation options, may suddenly become even more limited.”

It said that due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, a number of airlines are cancelling their services to the country and “numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines”.

The department “strongly advised” US nationals against traveling from Russia to Ukraine by land, saying the “situation along the border is dangerous and unpredictable”.

It categorically directed citizens not to travel to the North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus, “due to terrorism, kidnapping and risk of civil unrest” as well as to Crimea due to Russia’s occupation of the Ukrainian territory and abuses by occupying authorities.

The advisory comes as president Joe Biden expressed his scepticism about Russia’s announcement of scaling back military operations near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

While Russia on Tuesday announced it would dial back operations in a bid to increase trust in ongoing talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey, Mr Biden said he is waiting to see what Russia offers in ongoing talks.

“We’ll see,” the president said during an appearance with Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong following bilateral talks at the White House. “I don’t read anything into it until I see what their actions are.”

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