Russia Warns Citizens Against Traveling to US, Canada, and EU Countries Amid Confrontational Relations
Russia has advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to the United States, Canada, and some European Union countries in the coming weeks due to the risk of being “hunted” down by US authorities. The warning comes amid increasingly confrontational relations between Russia and the US, which are worse than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that trips to the US and its allied satellite states, including Canada and some EU countries, are “fraught with serious risks” due to the increasing confrontation in Russian-American relations. She urged Russians to continue to refrain from traveling to these countries during the holidays.
The warning is not unprecedented, as both Moscow and Washington have been experiencing tensions over the Ukraine war. Russia has accused the US of supporting Ukraine’s efforts to defeat Russian forces, while the US has accused Russia of aggression and an imperial-style land grab.
The two countries have also been involved in a prisoner swap, with some Russians imprisoned in the US and dozens of US citizens imprisoned in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that its citizens have become the subject of “hunting” by American authorities and US special services.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has indicated that Russia would be prepared to consider another prisoner swap, similar to the one that took place in August. The Kremlin has also warned of the risks of a wider war, with President Vladimir Putin accusing the West of ignoring Russia’s post-Soviet interests and trying to weaken and destroy the country.
The US and its Western allies have supported Ukraine with hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons and aid, while Russia has mobilized troops and accused the West of aggression. The situation remains tense, with both sides accusing each other of escalating the conflict.