Foreign Ministry urged Russians to refrain from traveling to the United States

Russia actively urges its citizens to refuse to travel to the United States. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on December 11.

"In conditions of increasing confrontation in Russian-American relations, balancing on the verge of rupture through the fault of official Washington, traveling to the United States of America privately or for business reasons is fraught with serious risks," Zakharova said at a briefing.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman explained the need to refuse travel by the often recently practiced fraudulent scheme of luring Russian citizens abroad, to whom the U.S. authorities have alleged "claims."

"In this regard, we urge in the upcoming holidays and in the future to refrain from non-emergency travel to the United States and its allied satellite states, including primarily Canada and, with a few exceptions, European Union countries," Zakharova added.

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Earlier, on December 10, the United States imposed a series of visa restrictions against 17 Russian officials in connection with the Ukrainian conflict. According to the statement, the sanctions were imposed under Section 212 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.

Back in August, Zakharova said that the US was raising the degree of tension in relations with Russia, contrary to official statements about attempts to avoid escalation. In addition, she said, Washington seeks to maintain its hegemony and is trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow by actually becoming a party to the Ukrainian conflict.

Western countries increased sanctions pressure on Russia after the start of the special operation to protect civilians in Donbas, which was announced on February 24, 2022.