Russia Issues Travel Advisory For Citizens Visiting India Amid Anti-CAA Protests

With anti-CAA protests fanning out across the nation, the  Russian government on Thursday advised its citizens who are in India or planning to visit the country to be "vigilant, cautious, avoid crowds and refrain from visiting areas controlled by protestors".  Last week, several countries including the US, UK, Israel, Canada and Singapore, had asked their citizens to exercise caution while travelling to the Northeastern states in India, which have been witnessing violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said on Twitter, "Russian nationals currently in India or planning to visit the country soon are advised to be vigilant and cautious, avoid crowds and refrain from visiting areas controlled by protestors. Follow our updates." The US Embassy in New Delhi on December 14 had listed out precautions for its citizens visiting the northeastern states, asking them to avoid areas with "demonstrations and civil disturbances", to be aware of their surroundings, and to keep a "low profile" among others.

The UK government last week updated its travel advisory for India to warn its citizens against visiting the states in the Northeast. Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) last week issued a travel notice for Northeast India, advising Singaporeans travelling there to "exercise vigilance and caution".

Canada had advised its citizens on December 13 to avoid "non-essential" travel to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland due to the protests. Israel last week warned its citizens to "completely avoid" going to Assam because of violent protests.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also warned against going to other states in the area due to the possibility of the violent protests spreading around.