This morning, the U.S. State Department has sent out an urgent alert, warning American citizens to not travel to Russia and, for citizens who are in Russia now, to depart the country immediately:
Do not travel to Russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, and the possibility of terrorism. U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately. Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions.
Highlights of the alert include:
- Russian government has limited the ability for America embassy personnel to travel. As such, the U.S. government would not be able to provide routine or emergency services to American citizens, especially those who are far away from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates.
- Russia may refuse to acknowledge Americans with dual citizenship and deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, subject them to mobilization, prevent their departure from Russia, and/or conscript them.
- U.S. credit and debit cards can no longer be used in Russia, and electronic transfer of funds from the United States are limited due to sanctions imposed on Russian banks. There are also reports of cash shortages within Russia.
- Commercial flight services are extremely limited and are often unavailable on short notice.
No comments:
Post a Comment