Due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of being arrested or harassed by Russian law enforcement, the US has told its citizens to leave Russia right away.
The US embassy in Moscow said that any US citizens living or traveling in Russia should leave right away. “Be more careful because you could be wrongfully arrested.”
The embassy told people, “Do not go to Russia.”
The US has told its people over and over again to leave Russia. After President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization in September, the last public warning of this kind was sent out at that time.
“Russian security services have arrested US citizens on false charges, singled out US citizens in Russia for detention and harassment, denied them fair and open treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence,” the embassy said.
“Russian authorities randomly enforce local laws against religious workers from the US, and they have opened criminal investigations into US citizens who are involved in religious work that aren’t clear-cut.”
The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in January that Russia had opened a criminal case against a U.S. citizen on suspicion of spying.
US prisoners in Russian jails
Brittney Griner, a basketball player, was the most well-known American who was held in a Russian prison.
She was sent back to the U.S. in December as part of a prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. This was almost 10 months after she was arrested.
Griner is an openly gay Black woman who is well-known in women’s basketball. She is also in jail in a country where the government has been hostile to the LBGTQ community. This has made people worry about her and brought a lot of attention to the case.
Another American is still in jail in Russia because he wasn’t part of the prisoner swap in December.
Paul Whelan is a former US Marine who was arrested in Moscow in 2018 on suspicion of spying and given a 16-year prison sentence.
US President Joe Biden has said that his country will “never give up” on trying to get Whelan released.
