The U.S. State Department implemented a new travel advisory for citizens who are currently in, or planning to visit, Russia.
On May 8, the department marked Russia with the highest warning on its advisory scale: Level 4: Do Not Travel.
Written in bold writing, the advisory stated: “Do not travel to Russia for any reason.”
There are four main reasons as to why Americans should avoid the country, according to the department:
- Danger associated with the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine.
- The risk of harassment or wrongful detention by Russian security officials.
- The arbitrary enforcement of local laws.
- The possibility of terrorism.
In the event that American does go to Russia, the department warns that should they be arrested, “the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has limited ability to assist in the case of a detention of a U.S. citizen. There is no guarantee that a U.S. citizen will be afforded consular access or released before their entire prison sentence is served. The risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals remains high. Even if a case is determined wrongful, there is no guarantee of release.”
Additionally, Americans who are of dual American-Russian citizenship are still at risk, the department said. Russia “will not” recognize a person’s American citizenship, meaning dual citizens can be drafted for the Russia-Ukraine War — a practice Russia has employed since 2022 for its citizens.
Demonstrations “are not protected rights” in Russia, even if they are peaceful. Freedom of speech is another right that is not protected in the country.
All electronic devices and the communications taken place on them should be treated under the assumption that they “are monitored by Russian security services.”
Furthermore, all American credit cards and debit cards do not work in Russia. Even “sending electronic money transfers from the United States to Russia is nearly impossible.”
If you would like to know more about the advisory, including what to do if traveling to Russia despite the advisory, please go to travel.state.gov and navigate to the travel advisories page. There, you can search for “Russia,” and see the entire advisory.
