The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert urging all U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately.

“U.S. citizens should not travel to Russia and those residing or traveling in Russia should depart Russia immediately while limited commercial travel options remain,” the Embassy warned.

“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 reads. “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.”

The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to “make independent arrangements as soon as possible,” noting that it has “severe limitations on its ability to assist U.S. citizens.”

“We remind U.S. citizens that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are not guaranteed in Russia,” the Embassy said, telling citizens, “Avoid all political or social protests and do not photograph security personnel at these events. Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who have participated in demonstrations.”

On August 15, the State Department designated Russia as a level 4 travel advisory — “Do not travel and leave immediately.”

The alert comes after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. is close to “becoming a party to the conflict” in Ukraine.

“More and more, the American side is getting into this conflict, getting closer to becoming a party to the conflict, which is extremely dangerous,” Peskov said on Wednesday.

Sources: U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia | The Sun | The Daily Wire