US Embassy in Moscow warns Americans to flee Russia to avoid draft
The State Department has warned Americans in Russia with dual citizenship to leave immediately so they are not forced to fight Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The US Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert on Tuesday advising personnel of Putin’s efforts to draft Russians to fight in the seven-month-old war.
“On September 21, the Russian government began a mobilization of its citizens to the armed forces in support of its invasion of Ukraine,” the alert said.
“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,” it said.
The embassy noted that commercial flights out of the country are “extremely limited” and “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. The U.S. Embassy has severe limitations on its ability to assist U.S. citizens, and conditions, including transportation options, may suddenly become even more limited,” it said.
It also warned Americans against traveling to Russia and advised those living in the country to “depart Russia immediately while limited commercial travel options remain.”
The embassy noted that the rights to peaceable assembly and free expression are not guaranteed in Russia, advising Americans to avoid anti-mobilization protests.
“Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who have participated in demonstrations,” it noted.
It was not immediately clear how many US passport holders remain in Russia, and the State Department said it was not aware that any Americans had been detained for participating in anti-war demonstrations since Putin’s mobilization announcement.
“[We] continue to advise U.S. citizens to avoid all protests in Russia,” a department spokesperson said in an email. “Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who have participated in demonstrations in the past.”
Ukraine’s military and Western analysts said Russia is sending troops without any training to the front line.
In a briefing, the Ukraine military’s general staff said the 1st Tank Regiment of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of Russia’s 1st Tank Army has received untrained new troops.
The Ukrainian military also said prison convicts are reinforcing the Russian lines. It offered no evidence to support the claim, although Ukrainian security services have released audio of purportedly monitored Russian phone conversations on the issue.
The Institute for the Study of War cited an online video by a man who identified himself as a member of the 1st Tank Regiment, visibly upset, saying that he and his colleagues wouldn’t receive training before shipping out to the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson region.
“Mobilized men with a day or two of training are unlikely to meaningfully reinforce Russian positions affected by Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south and east,” the institute said.
The warning came as Moscow appeared poised to annex all or part of four regions of Ukraine where sham referenda were held on the prospect of living under Russian rule.
With Post wires.