Westerners questioned at length in Russian airports

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 26 Jun 2022 by Alex Teddy

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Since the Ukraine War began Russian authorities have become ever more inquisitive about the citizens of NATO and EU countries arriving in Russia. At airports these citizens of ''unfriendly states'' will have their phones confiscated and presumably searched. The people are questioned for several hours on whether they have contacts in Ukraine what their attitude to the war is. They are sometimes asked about what news media they follow. Some of this is sensible vigilance in the circumstances. Foreigners who have lived in Russia for decades without problems have found themselves subjected to intense questioning. The FSB has been conducting many of these interviews as it controls border security. The FSB has not responded to journalistic questions about what its new policy is. The US has warned its citizens that in Russia they will have no electronic privacy. Very few Westerners are travelling to Russia now. The FSB presumably thinks it suspicious if any Westerners come. Likewise, the number of Russians travelling West has fallen dramatically. There are still British and American schools functioning in Moscow. Their teachers are questioned in airports.