The US national flag flies in front of the embassy in Moscow (Picture: Reuters)
US citizens have been told leave Russia immediately over heightened risks of arbitrary arrests or harassment.
Western leaders have agreed to supply Ukraine with tanks, including the German-made Leopard 2s, sending a clear signal of support.
As a result, the US embassy in Moscow has issued a warning to people residing or travelling to Russia to urgently depart.
‘Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions,’ it added in a message earlier today.
‘The US government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to citizens in Russia is severely limited, particularly in areas far from the US embassy in Moscow, due to Russian government limitations on travel for embassy personnel and staffing, and the ongoing suspension of operations, including consular services, at US consulates.’
The embassy stressed that Russian security services have previously arrested US citizens on ‘spurious’ charges, ‘singled them out’ for detention and harassment, denied them fair treatment, and convicted them in secret trials.
The warning from the embassy in Moscow was made earlier today (Picture: Reuters)
It also warned that recent legislation has expanded the ability of authorities to detain, question, and arrest individuals suspected of acting against the country’s interests.
This included discrediting the Russian state or military, as well as advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
Last December, 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.
The Kremlin said this was not the first time US citizens had been asked to leave Russia.
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The last such warning was in September after president Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation.
‘They (warnings) have been voiced by the State Department many times in the last period, so this is not a new thing,’ spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
This comes just hours before NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia has already begun a new offensive in Ukraine.
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‘Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions.’
