Biden administration warns US companies their employees in Russia may be taken hostage in retaliation for sanctions – as more flights are canceled out of Moscow
- US officials have warned companies their employees could be taken hostage or arrested in Russia
- The State Department will not confirm the number of Americans in Russia
- More flights are being canceled as Russia and the EU close off their airspaces to each other
- The US has not yet canceled flights to and from Russia but it is a possibility
- Businesses are also pulling money out of the country as the ruble plunges in value
- Biden and the West are tackling Putin economically to try to kneecap his resources
- The war in Ukraine began on February 24 with airstrikes launched by Putin
The Biden administration has quietly warned American companies with large business interests in Russia that their employees there may be taken hostage in retaliation for sanctions.
With the ruble plunging and US and European banks banning all business with Russia while it continues its assault on Ukraine, many American businesses are pulling their money out of the country.
Now, Biden administration officials are also warning those companies that unless they extract staff, they may be arrested or taken hostage, according to unnamed sources cited by NBC on Tuesday.
There are also growing concerns over the fact that both the EU and Russia have now closed their airspace to each other, making it harder for anyone who wants to leave Russia to get out of the country.
It’s unclear how many US citizens are currently living in Russia. At the start of the conflict with Russia, there were 23,000 Americans in Ukraine.
A State Department official told DailyMail.com on Tuesday they do not keep numbers of Americans living abroad in any given country.
The US Embassy in Moscow is now allowing staff to leave the country on a voluntary basis as a result of the conflict.
On Sunday, the State Department issued an alert warning all Americans in the country to leave while they could.