“The total number of Russian citizens taken hostage, in fact, exceeds 60,” Vershinin said.
He added that the US authorities have been “practicing the hunt for Russians around the world for many years, seeking their detention on false charges in order to extradite them to the States.”
There, according to the diplomat, the courts churn out long prison terms for them, counting in tens of years.
Vershinin warned Russians traveling abroad to weigh the risks of possible consequences, especially when visiting unfriendly countries.
Earlier, Russian businessman Viktor Bout, recently released from an American prison, said on an RT stream that US intelligence agencies spent $150 million on the operation to detain him.