Russia tells residents to not journey to United States

Russians must also keep away from heading to Canada and most EU states, warns Moscow’s Overseas Ministry.

Russia has warned its residents to not journey to the US and different Western international locations, claiming they may very well be “hunted” by the authorities in these states.

Ministry of Overseas Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued the warning in a information briefing on Wednesday, saying Russians may very well be caught within the crosshairs of perilous relations with the US.

“Journeys to the US of America privately or out of official necessity are fraught with severe dangers,” she stated, describing US-Russia relations as “on the verge of rupture”.

Russians must also keep away from travelling to Canada and US allies within the European Union, stated Zakharova, describing these nations as US “satellites”.

The US additionally advises its residents towards travelling to Russia, saying “they might face harassment or detention by Russian safety officers” or “arbitrary enforcement of native legal guidelines” primarily based on their nationality.

Russian and US diplomats say ties between the 2 international locations are worse than at any time because the 1962 Cuban missile disaster as a result of grinding struggle in Ukraine.

The US has been Ukraine’s largest backer, giving it $62bn in navy support since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Final month, the US authorised Ukraine to make use of US-made long-range tactical missiles deep into Russia, a turning level within the struggle that angered Moscow and triggered it to decrease its nuclear threshold.

Russia has additionally lashed out at a $20bn US mortgage to Ukraine – to be backed by income from seized Russian property.

“This can be a manic need to delay the agony of the Kyiv regime, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] himself and all these corrupt offers that the [US President Joe] Biden regime created across the scenario in Ukraine,” Zakharova instructed Russian media.

Each Moscow and Washington accuse one another of detaining residents on trumped-up expenses that haven’t any basis.

In August, Russia launched three US residents, together with journalist Evan Gershkovich, in an intensive Turkiye-mediated jail swap with Western nations.

As a part of the deal, the US freed Vladislav Klyushin, a Russian businessman convicted in a “hack-to-trade” fraud scheme; Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian legislator jailed for involvement in a cyberattack; and Vadim Konoshchenok, a Russian safety official arrested in Estonia and extradited to the US.