The US on Monday told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.
Russian security services have arrested US citizens on “spurious charges”, singled them out for detention and harassment, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence, the US embassy in Moscow said in a statement.
“US citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately,” the embassy said.
It added: “Do not travel to Russia.”
It was not the first time US citizens had been asked to leave Russia. The last such public warning was in September after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilisation for men to fight in Ukraine.
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.
Brittney Griner released from Russian penal colony — in pictures
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Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said US basketball star Brittney Griner (L) had been traded for Viktor Bout (R) in a prisoner release exchange. AFP -
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner sits in the plane as she flies out of Russia on Friday, December 9, 2022. Russian Federal Security Service / AP -
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters about Griner's release. Reuters -
Cherelle Griner talks about the release of her wife. Reuters -
Mr Biden thanked his administration and the UAE, which enabled Griner's release along with Saudi Arabia. AP -
Griner in action in an Arizona game in 2021. Getty Images / AFP -
'Welcome home Brittney,' Mr Biden said at the White House. AP -
Viktor Bout in 2009 before his extradition to the US. AFP -
Nicknamed the Merchant of Death, Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence in the US after being convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organisation. AFP -
Griner holds a picture of her basketball team from behind bars. AFP -
Griner in action at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Reuters -
Mr Biden and others speak to Griner by phone after her release from Russia. Reuters -
Griner in action in Saitama, Japan. AP -
A Griner supporter at a WNBA basketball game in Chicago in August. AP -
Paul Whelan, a former US marine who was arrested for alleged spying. Mr Biden said he would would 'never give up' fighting for his release. AP -
The entrance of the IK-2 penal colony in Yavas where Griner was held. AFP -
The IK-2 penal colony. AFP
The Federal Security Service said in January that prosecutors had opened a criminal case against a US citizen on suspicion of espionage.
Last December, US 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 US 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.
Reuters contributed to this report
