Russia warns citizens they face arrest at US request

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Russia has warned its citizens to think twice before travelling abroad as it says they face a serious threat of arrest by other countries at the request of the United States.

A foreign ministry statement claimed that they could then be extradited to the US.

“Despite our calls to improve cooperation between the relevant US and Russian authorities ... US special services have effectively continued 'hunting' for Russians around the world,” the ministry said on Thursday.

“Considering these circumstances, we strongly insist that Russian citizens carefully weigh up all the risks when planning trips abroad.”

Last month, the US State Department issued a travel warning urging Americans to reconsider visits to Russia, citing terrorism and harassment as serious concerns.

The Russian foreign ministry statement said more than 10 Russians had been detained in foreign countries with US involvement since the start of 2017.

By way of example, it pointed to at least four Russians arrested on US cybercrime charges in Spain, Latvia and Greece. US action against suspected Russian cyber criminals surged to a record high last year.

Seven Russians were arrested or indicted in 2017 in the US and abroad, compared to an average of two a year in the preceding six years.

The ministry pointed to the case of Stanislav Lisov, accused of creating a computer virus that targeted customers of financial institutions, causing millions of dollars of damage. He was extradited from Spain to the US last year.

It mentioned earlier cases as well, including the detention of Roman Seleznev for cyber crime in the Maldives in 2014, which it described as a kidnapping by American agents.

The statement also warns Russian citizens that upon extradition they will face biased treatment at the hands of the US justice system.

The US State Department declined to comment.

Source(s): Reuters