Travel warning for Russians: Do not go to countries that have extradition treaties with the US
Russia on Wednesday warned its citizens not to travel to countries that have extradition treaties with the United States of America, Reuters reports.
In a travel warning, Moscow's Foreign Ministry said “the intensity of Washington's punitive justice” has increased since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war (in 2022), and people face lengthy prison terms if extradited to the US.
“Given the numerous extraterritorial sanctions targeting strategic segments of the domestic economy, many Russians, without realizing it, risk being targeted by US law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” the ministry headed by Sergei Lavrov said.
The institution also stated, without providing evidence or examples, that “US intelligence agencies often engage in fraudulent schemes to lure Russian citizens abroad with lucrative business or tourism offers.”
The Russians were sometimes detained immediately upon arrival in a third country, the statement sent by Russian diplomacy also claims. The travel warning is for Russians “who have reasonable grounds to believe they may be subject to criminal prosecution by US authorities” or those on US sanctions lists.
Among the countries most likely to extradite Russian citizens to the US, the ministry cited Great Britain, Switzerland, most EU member states, Canada, Australia, Israel, much of Latin America, Liberia, Morocco and a number of Asian states.
Moscow also says more than 100 Russian citizens have been transferred to the US in this way since arms dealer Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008.
Bout spent 14 years in prison in the US for arms trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to kill US citizens. He was released in 2022 in exchange for Brittney Griner, an American basketball star who was jailed in Russia on charges of smuggling cannabis oil for e-cigarettes into the country.
