Urgent Travel Advisory: U.S. Citizens Urged to Evacuate Amid Level 4 Warning

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The U.S. State Department has reissued its most severe alert — a Level 4 alert — for a European nation, urging Americans to exit the country without delay.

The “do not travel” designation applies to Belarus, an Eastern European nation bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, as stated by the U.S. State Department.

U.S. nationals in Belarus are advised to leave immediately, as urged by the State Department in its announcement on December 18.

The alert is issued due to the “arbitrary enforcement of local laws by Belarusian authorities, the risk of detainment, ongoing support for Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, the possibility of civil disorder, and the Embassy’s limited capability to aid U.S. citizens living in or traveling to Belarus,” according to the announcement.

Belarus does not recognize dual citizenship. Authorities in Belarus may not acknowledge the U.S. citizenship of dual nationals and may either refuse or delay consular support to detained dual citizens, noted the State Department.

In early 2022, the State Department mandated the evacuation of U.S. government staff and halted operations at its Embassy in Minsk.

According to the State Department, tens of thousands of individuals, including several U.S. citizens, are currently detained in the country for purported ties to opposition groups and involvement in political protests.

Approximately 1,300 individuals are presently imprisoned for political actions that would not be considered offenses in the U.S., and these inmates routinely lack access to their embassy, legal counsel, and any external communication.

Those who remain in the country are advised to steer clear of public demonstrations and consider refraining from bringing electronic devices, which are likely monitored by Belarusian security forces, into the nation.

Additionally, they should consistently reassess departure strategies in case of emergencies, stated the State Department.

Border crossings to neighboring countries can sometimes close with minimal warning. Further closures of crossing points along Belarus’s borders with Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Ukraine are foreseeable.

Belarus is among 20 nations categorized under Level 4: Do not travel alerts. The others include:

• Afghanistan
• Burkina Faso
• Burma
• Central African Republic
• Haiti
• Iran
• Iraq
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Mali
• North Korea
• Russia
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Syria
• Ukraine
• Venezuela
• Yemen