USA's warning of terrorist attacks in Russia looks like imminent threat

The US Embassy in Moscow explained its warning about the threat of terrorist attacks in Russia.

The US Embassy made conclusions about a possibility of terrorist attacks on various public facilities in Russia based on the information about numerous incidents of bomb threats in Russian cities, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"In recent days a number of Russian media outlets have reported on a spate of bomb threats being made against Russian public buildings, including metro stations, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere. The U. S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of U. S. citizens overseas. Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our commitment to providing U. S. citizens with clear and timely information so they can make informed travel decisions, we published this Alert," US diplomatic spokesman Jason Rebholtz said.

On February 20, the US Embassy in Moscow posted a message on its website to warn of terrorist attacks that could supposedly occur in Russian cities in the near future.

According to US diplomats who referred to mass media reports, attacks can be possible on:

• shopping centers,
• railway stations,
• metro stations,
• other places of mass congregation of people.

Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as areas of "high tension" along the border of Russia and Ukraine, were said to be among the possible targets.

The Kremlin promised to find out whether US intelligence services had provided any reports about possible terrorist attacks that could allegedly occur in Russia in the near future.

Maria Zakharova, an official spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, in response to the warning from the US Embassy, wondered whether the USA had provided such information to Moscow.

"A question for the US Embassy in Moscow: did you transmit the relevant data to your Russian counterparts through partner channels? If not, how shall we understand all this?" Zakharova wrote on Telegram.