As the war between Ukraine and Russia drags on, and President Joe Biden continues to send aid and resources to Ukraine, the United States has warned citizens to leave Russia immediately.
American citizens in Russia have been ordered to leave the country immediately due to the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.
“U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately,” advised the U.S. embassy in Moscow. “Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions.”
“Do not travel to Russia,” the embassy said. “Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on spurious charges, singled out U.S. citizens in Russia for detention and harassment, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence.”
“Russian authorities arbitrarily enforce local laws against U.S. citizen religious workers and have opened questionable criminal investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activity,” it added.
⚡️ The US Embassy in russia called on Americans to leave the country immediately.
“Do not travel to russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US citizens who live or travel in russia must immediately leave the country”, reports the website. pic.twitter.com/e2Ri09NZAP
— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) February 13, 2023
Reuters reports:
The Kremlin said it was not the first time U.S. citizens had been asked to leave Russia. The last such public warning was in September after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation.
“They (warnings) have been voiced by the State Department many times in the last period, so this is not a new thing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The Federal Security Service(FSB) said in January that prosecutors had opened a criminal case against a United States citizen on suspicion of espionage.
Last December, U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was released in a prisoner swap, having been sentenced to nine years in a penal colony for possessing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil – which is banned in Russia – after a judicial process labelled a sham by Washington.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian penal colony after being convicted of espionage charges that Washington also says are a sham.
However, many believe it is beginning to look like 1940 all over again.
Today, the US, France and Brazil all urging their citizens to immediately leave Russia and Belarus.
Wonder what's up..
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) February 13, 2023
Instead of staying out of the affair, Biden has planted America in the midst the mess. This could mean another war is on our horizon.
Well there you go! What happens right before fill out war!!! You tell all your citizens to leave a countries. Last week US told all US citizens to leave Ukraine, this morning they told all citizens to leave Russia.
— Kelli Sullivan (@liquidshoe) February 13, 2023
