Russia issues ‘do not travel’ warning to dozens of countries | World | News
Russia has warned its citizens not to travel to countries that have extradition treaties with the United States and warned that they risk long prison sentences if extradited to the United States. Many Russians risk unknowingly “finding themselves in the crosshairs of American law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” the State Department said in a travel advisory. Referring to the increase in “Washington’s criminal justice” since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the ministry said it was due to “a large number of extraterritorial sanctions targeting strategic segments of the domestic economy.”
He added that because U.S. sanctions target significant parts of Russia’s economy, many Russians may unknowingly break American laws and end up being targeted by U.S. law enforcement or intelligence agencies. Countries most likely to be extradited include the United Kingdom, Switzerland, most EU members, Canada, Australia, Israel, much of Latin America, Liberia, Morocco and several Asian countries.
Without providing evidence or specific examples, the department claimed that “U.S. intelligence agencies frequently engage in fraudulent schemes to lure Russian citizens abroad with lucrative business or tourist offers,” leading to immediate detention upon arrival in a third country.
The warning applies to Russians who “have reasonable grounds to believe that they may be subject to criminal prosecution by U.S. authorities” or who are on U.S. sanctions lists. According to the statement, some Russians were detained as soon as they arrived in a third country.
Russia says more than 100 of its citizens have been sent to the US in this way since arms dealer Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008, Reuters reports.
Bout served 14 years in a US prison for arms smuggling, money laundering and conspiracy to murder Americans. He was released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap for US basketball star Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for bringing marijuana vape oil into the country.
