The State Department has assigned Russia the highest level of danger and asked Americans not to visit the country.

The US State Department has issued a new warning for citizens who are in Russia or planning to visit it. On May 8, the department assigned the highest level of danger to the Russian Federation, reports Silive.

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Russia has been assigned Level 4 – “do not travel for any reason.”

According to the State Department, there are four main reasons why Americans should avoid traveling to the country:

• The danger associated with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
• Risk of persecution or unlawful detention by Russian security forces.
• Arbitrary application of local laws.
• Possibility of terrorist attacks.

On the subject: Reasons for the invalidity of the Russian passport, and why it is dangerous for Russians living in America

However, if the American does travel to Russia, the department warns that if he is arrested, "the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has limited ability to assist in the detention of a U.S. citizen. There is no guarantee that he will be granted consular access or released before the end of his detention. The risk of wrongful detention of U.S. citizens remains high. Even if the detention is found to be wrongful, it does not guarantee release."

In addition, US citizens who hold dual citizenship — American and Russian — are also at risk. According to the State Department, Russia “does not recognize” American citizenship. This means that such individuals could be conscripted to fight in the war between Russia and Ukraine — a practice that Russia has been using against its own citizens since 2022.

Demonstrations are "not a protected right" in Russia, even if they are peaceful. Freedom of speech is another right that is not protected in the country.

All electronic devices and messages transmitted through them should be considered as being “under the control of Russian intelligence services.”

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In addition, all American credit and debit cards do not work in Russia. Even "transfer of electronic funds from the USA to Russia is practically impossible."

For more information about this alert, including what to do if you do travel to Russia, visit travel.state.gov and check the travel alerts section.

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