On Tuesday, United States of America officials issued a stern warning to its citizens residing in Russia, as a dreaded military draft sparked widespread concern across the country. The official asked those with dual US-Russian citizenship to leave immediately if they did not want to be forced into Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
“Russia may refuse to acknowledge dual nationals’ U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, prevent their departure from Russia, and conscript dual nationals for military service”, the official statement issued by the US Embassy in Moscow said. This is after the Russian government announced on September 21 the mobilization of its citizens to the armed forces in support of its invasion of Ukraine.
The embassy also asked the citizens to make independent travel arrangements as it stated that the commercial flight options were extremely limited and were often unavailable on short notice. “Overland routes by car and bus are still open. If you wish to depart Russia, you should make independent arrangements as soon as possible”, it added.
The notice also stated that the US Embassy’s capacity to help US nationals was severely constrained, and conditions, particularly transportation alternatives, might suddenly become much more limited. The warning further restricted US citizens from travelling to Russia and said that those who are residing or travelling in the country at present should exit Russia quickly while limited commercial travel choices exist.
The embassy meanwhile also warned the US citizens against staging protests and exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. “The right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are not guaranteed in Russia. Avoid all political or social protests and do not photograph security personnel at these events. Russian authorities have arrested US citizens who have participated in demonstrations”, the statement noted.
The advisory further asked the US citizens in Russia to carry proper identification documents including their passports with their current Russian visas and advised them to have a contingency plan that does not rely on US government assistance. The US citizens are asked to follow the Department’s Travel Advisory for Russia, issued on August 15, which is ‘Do Not Travel and Leave Immediately’. It is a level 4 advisory, the highest level.
The travel advisory had said that there was potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials, and U.S. citizens in Russia may be singled out by Russian government security officials for detention and other actions, and that Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia was limited. The embassy had also cited other issues like limited flights in and out of Russia, COVID-19-related restrictions, and terrorism. The embassy had also noted that U.S. credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia after the US-based major card companies withdrew from Russia in protest against the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the country’s first military mobilization since World War II on September 21. According to Russian officials, the draft would focus on reservists and will add 300,000 troops to the war effort. However, Russian media has reported that the true aim is one million additional troops. Reports mention that the recruitment of men having combat training and are above the draft age has sparked condemnation even from pro-Kremlin voices.
