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The United States urges American citizens to leave Russia immediately

  • International
  • Lead News
  • 31 March, 2023 19:07:56

Photo: Collected

International Desk: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has urged US citizens living in Russia to leave the country immediately. He made this call after the arrest of American journalist Ivan Gershkovich in Russia on charges of espionage. In a statement on Twitter on Thursday, Blinken said, "We are deeply concerned by the news of the detention of a US citizen journalist in Russia." The top priority of the US State Department is the safety and security of US citizens abroad. In this situation, the US citizens staying in Russia are requested to leave that country immediately. Arrested Ivan worked as a Moscow correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. He is of Russian origin but an American citizen.

Regarding the arrest of the American journalist, the Russian central intelligence agency FSB said that 31-year-old Ivan was trying to obtain confidential information of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was spying for America. Blinken made a statement expressing anger and protest on Twitter after the announcement of the Russian intelligence agency. In the statement, Blinken condemned the Kremlin's continued efforts to intimidate, suppress and punish the voices of journalists and civil society.

White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre also expressed concern over the arrest of journalist Ivan. In a tweet, he said, the US administration has contacted his family. In addition, the State Department has been in direct contact with the Russian government on this matter. Meanwhile, if the charges against the arrested Ivan are proved, he can be imprisoned for up to 20 years. However, the Kremlin has not yet provided any evidence for this allegation. Earlier, Washington had issued guidelines warning US citizens against traveling to Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The directive stated that Russian authorities could detain or arrest foreigners at any time.

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