Russians should also avoid heading to Canada and most European Union countries, warns the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia has warned its citizens against traveling to the United States and other Western countries, claiming that authorities in those countries may be “pursuing” them.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued the warning at a press conference on Wednesday, saying the Russians could be caught in the crosshairs of risky relations with the United States.
She added: “Trips to the United States of America in private or out of official necessity are fraught with serious risks,” describing American-Russian relations as “on the verge of rupture.”
Russians should also avoid travel to Canada and US allies in the European Union, Zakharova said, calling those countries “satellites” of the United States.
The United States also advises its citizens against traveling to Russia, saying they “may face harassment or detention by Russian security officials” or “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” based on their nationality.
Russian and American diplomats say that relations between the two countries are worse than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 due to the brutal war in Ukraine.
The United States has been Ukraine's largest supporter, providing it with $62 billion in military aid since the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
Last month, the United States allowed Ukraine to use long-range, US-made tactical missiles deep into Russia, a turning point in the war that angered Moscow and prompted it to lower its nuclear threshold.
Russia also criticized a $20 billion US loan to Ukraine – backed by profits from seized Russian assets.
“This is an insane desire to prolong the suffering of the Kiev regime and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) himself and all these corrupt deals created by the regime of (US President Joe) Biden over the situation in Ukraine,” Zakharova told Russian media.
Moscow and Washington are exchanging accusations of detaining citizens on fabricated and baseless charges.
In August, Russia released three American citizens, including journalist Ivan Gershkovich, in a large-scale Turkish-brokered prisoner exchange with Western countries.
As part of the deal, the United States released Vladislav Klyushin, a Russian businessman convicted in a “trade hack” fraud scheme. Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian lawmaker imprisoned for his involvement in a cyberattack; and Vadim Konoshinok, a Russian security official who was arrested in Estonia and extradited to the United States.
