A U.S. citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, officials said Tuesday, a move that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine.
The arrest of Robert Woodland Romanov was reported by the press service of the Moscow courts. It said the Ostankino District Court ruled on Saturday to keep him in custody for two months on charges of preparing to get involved in illegal drug trafficking pending an official investigation. It didn’t offer any details of the accusations.
…
Analysts have pointed out that Moscow could be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips amid U.S.-Russian tensions that soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.
Life Pro Tip: Never go to Russia.
Comrade, please. We have wodka and potato. You can join finest military and go on fun adventures!
so does ireland, and the language is slightly easier to understand.
Yes, but no adidas track suits. Checkmate.
Well you clearly haven’t listened to enough Rubberbandits
Removed by mod
What evidence do you have that he was doing drugs? The article doesn’t say that.
drugs are not the problem, russia is…
No, you can use drugs, but be smart/safe about it.
Pro-tip: Do drugs, fuck authoritarians
on charges of preparing to get involved in illegal drug trafficking
See how efficient Russia is? You don’t even have to commit the crime anymore to be charged with it. They’re cutting out the middle man and passing the savings on to you! /s
they could tell he was thinking about it. he just had one of those faces, ya know?
Precrime
Conspiracy…
Cool. Another dipshit hanging out in a hostile nation gets pinched. Now it will cost the US another arms dealer or spy to get them back.
Unless this was a journalist, I think he should probably just tough it out. He should have known better than to go to Russia especially now. We should not be trading another arms dealer or Russian spy for someone who doesn’t have the survival instinct to not put his hand on a stove.
So this guy was interviewed in 2020, where he says he came to Russia looking for his birth mother, found her via a TV show, liked it in Russia, decided to stay there. Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, that was already known when he went there and decided to stay. Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb 2022, over a year at least since he’d been there, and he didn’t leave: not at that moment, and not at any moment as Russia kept on with its war. We don’t know exactly when he was arrested, but it seems that the US State Dept found out about it about a month ago.
I’m not saying the charges are fair, and I’m not saying that Russia isn’t just trying to use this guy as a bargaining chip. But this situation really seems like one that could have been avoided before it got to this point. Pretty sure the State Dept would have helped him leave before it came to this, if that’s what he wanted. That really doesn’t make him a super valuable chip.
Yeah fuck this guy. He made his own bed, now he has to lie in it. I hope the US doesn’t give up anything to get this guy out.
Uneven trades in the past emboldened putin. Don’t repeat those mistakes again. Any US citizen going to Russia should be doing it on their own and prepared for false charges and incarceration. No more war lords for random citizens.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
MOSCOW (AP) — A U.S. citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, officials said Tuesday, a move that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine.
It said the Ostankino District Court ruled on Saturday to keep him in custody for two months on charges of preparing to get involved in illegal drug trafficking pending an official investigation.
The news about the arrest come as Washington has sought to win the release of jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been jailed in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage-related charges that both he and the U.S. government dispute.
Analysts have pointed out that Moscow could be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips amid U.S.-Russian tensions that soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years — including WNBA star Brittney Griner — have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.
The original article contains 402 words, the summary contains 161 words. Saved 60%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
