In yet another diplomatic tit-for-tat move as relations with Washington spiral, Russia has warned its citizens to avoid all travel to the United States, saying they could face arrest.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova laid out in a briefing Wednesday that "Traveling to the United States privately or on official business is fraught with serious risks."

While it at first sounds like Moscow is doing a bit of trolling here, the Kremlin seems genuinely concerned over individual Russians being contacted or "lured" by US intelligence operatives.

Zakharova continued, "In this regard, we urge [Russians] to avoid non-emergency travel to the U.S. and its allied satellite states, including primarily Canada and, with a few exceptions, EU countries, for these upcoming holidays and in the future."

While the message raised the possibility of potential prosecution from US authorities, she also emphasized the following:

"Our compatriots have long been hunted in the direct sense of the word by U.S. intelligence services," she said.

And more:

Russians already in the U.S. should avoid situations where they could become "victims of provocations" and face arrest under the pretext of violating local laws. 

“If the attention shown to Russian citizens by Americans is becoming suspicious and intrusive, it may make sense to cut off these contacts and reconsider travel plans,” she said.

Interestingly, orchestrating 'provocations' is precisely what the State Department has long accused Russia of doing with Americans traveling in Russia, with the most famous recent case being the imprisonment of Brittney Griner (later released in a prison swap with Victor Bout).

The US Embassy in Moscow has in turned warned all US citizens that arbitrary detention could come if they travel through Russia. This has tensions have sourced between the two countries since the Feb. 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.