The Biden administration has ordered family members of U.S. government employees to leave Belarus.
The State Department issued the order Monday, citing growing concerns about a Russian military buildup along the border with Ukraine.
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“U.S. citizens located in or considering travel to Belarus should be aware that the situation is unpredictable and there is heightened tension in the region,” the travel advisory says. “The U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Belarus is already severely limited due to Belarusian government limitations on U.S. Embassy staffing.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday that Russians were “surging troops into Belarus.” Psaki said nearly 5,000 Russian soldiers were positioned in the country, with more expected in the coming weeks.
Belarus, portions of which border Russia and Ukraine, is now under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory.
“Potential harassment targeted specifically at foreigners is also possible. Given the heightened volatility of the situation, U.S. citizens are strongly advised against traveling to Belarus,” the advisory said.
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Roughly one week ago, the State Department issued a similar order for the embassy in Kyiv, telling families of U.S. government employees to leave immediately and authorizing “non-emergency” embassy employees to leave on a voluntary basis.
