Increased Caution Advised
The embassy advises citizens to exercise increased caution and not to travel to Russia, citing past instances of wrongful detentions, secret trials, and harassment of U.S. citizens by Russian authorities. The embassy has issued similar warnings, with the last issued in September.
Criminal Case Against U.S. Citizen
In January, the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Russia opened a criminal case against an American citizen on suspicion of espionage. The U.S. Embassy has expressed concern about the arbitrary enforcement of local laws against religious workers and the opening of questionable criminal investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activities.
