Russia has warned its own citizens not to travel to countries with extradition treaties with the United States, cautioning that they risk lengthy prison sentences if handed over to the US. In a travel advisory, the Foreign Ministry said that many Russians risk “finding themselves in the crosshairs of American law enforcement and intelligence agencies” without realising it. This is due to “numerous extraterritorial sanctions targeting strategic segments of the domestic economy,” the ministry stated, citing an increase in “Washington’s punitive justice” since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
It added that because US sanctions target key parts of Russia’s economy, many Russians could unknowingly break American laws and end up being targeted by US law enforcement or intelligence agencies. Countries identified as most likely to extradite include Britain, Switzerland, most EU members, Canada, Australia, Israel, much of Latin America, Liberia, Morocco, and several Asian states.
Without providing evidence or specific examples, the ministry also alleged that “US intelligence agencies often engage in fraudulent schemes to lure Russian citizens abroad with lucrative commercial or tourist offers,” leading to immediate detention upon arrival in a third country.
The warning applies to Russians “who have reasonable grounds to believe they may be subject to criminal prosecution by U.S. authorities”, or those appearing on US sanctions lists. According to the statement, some Russians were detained immediately on arrival in a third country.
Russia said that more than 100 of its citizens have been sent to the US in this way since the arrest of arms dealer Viktor Bout in Thailand in 2008, Reuters reports.
Bout served 14 years in a US prison for arms trafficking, money laundering, and plotting to kill Americans. He was released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap for Brittney Griner, a US basketball star who had been jailed in Russia for bringing cannabis vape oil into the country.
