Authorities advise Swiss citizens to leave Russia

Traffic in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, March 4. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

The foreign ministry has advised Swiss citizens in Russia to leave the country, unless they have an urgent reason to stay.

The attack on Ukraine and subsequent war has led to an “increasingly unpredictable” situation in Russia, the foreign ministry wroteExternal link on Friday, and it is possible that things could “suddenly deteriorate”.

This week Russia added Switzerland to a list of countries deemed “unfriendly”, which means it’s not possible to rule out “retaliation measures” aimed at Switzerland or at Swiss citizens, the ministry said.

As such, it “recommends that Swiss nationals whose presence is not urgently needed leave the country temporarily and by their own means”, noting that direct flights between Russia and Switzerland are no longer available due to the closure of European airspace to Russian planes.

“The decision to leave the country is an individual decision,” the foreign ministry added.

Swiss citizens in Russia are advised to adhere to the rules of local authorities, to stay clear of all types of demonstrations, and to avoid making political statements. If the situation in Russia were to get worse for Swiss people, the embassy in Moscow has only “very limited, or even no possibilities” to help, the foreign ministry said.

A helplineExternal link is also available for Swiss citizens abroad with urgent questions.

At the end of 2018, there were 732 Swiss nationals living in Russia.