US warns citizens to leave Russia immediately
The United States has issued a top-level advisory for its citizens in Ukraine, calling on them to leave the country immediately due to the war in Ukraine and what it called the risk of arbitrary arrest.
The US embassy in Moscow issued the advisory on Monday, calling on “US citizens residing or travelling in Russia” to depart immediately.
"Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions," it said. "Do not travel to Russia.”
The embassy accused Russian security services of having “arrested US citizens on spurious charges.”
It said the security services “singled out US citizens in Russia for detention and harassment, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting credible evidence.”
The warning marks the highest level, Level 4, of alerts issued by the State Department, which ranges from exercising precaution to ceasing all travel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the US warning, saying it is not the first time US citizens had been asked to leave Russia.
"They (warnings) have been voiced by the State Department many times in the last period, so this is not a new thing," he said.
The last such public warning was issued in September after President Putin ordered a partial mobilization for the war in Ukraine.
Relations between Russia and the US have disintegrated since Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine in February last year.
The US warning comes amid concerns that Russia is amassing troops for an offensive that could coincide with that one-year mark.
A number of US citizens have been detained on criminal charges in Russia in recent years, with some ultimately freed in exchange for Russians detained in the United States.
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