Canada has called on its citizens to leave Russia

“If you are in Russia, you should leave while the trade routes are still in place,” the Canadian Foreign Ministry’s travel advice was released on Saturday. Canadians are being asked to “avoid all travel to Russia due to the consequences of the armed conflict with Ukraine.”

So far, Canada has advised its citizens against forced travel to Russia. Western travel sanctions imposed on Russia could now “have significant implications for the availability and delivery of essential services,” says a stern travel warning. “Availability of flights” will soon be “very low”.

The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted in Russia a new media law passed on Friday stating “strict restrictions on freedom of expression” in Russia. The “fake news” law enacted by President Vladimir Putin allows for harsher punishments for unfavorable statements against the Russian military.

The ministry warned that foreign journalists and media personnel in Russia face “significant risks” due to the law. Canadians in Russia are urged not to take part in the struggle against Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and not to release information on current developments in Russia and Ukraine.

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on Saturday updated its travel and security information for Russia and called on Germans in Russia to exercise restraint even when publishing personal statements online. “Under this new law in the Russian Federation, personal statements on social media may be associated with unpredictable personal risks,” the ministry warned.