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Russia Advising Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Canada, Citing Attacks

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Russia Advising Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Canada, Citing Attacks

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front the flag colors of Canada and Russia in this illustration taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Russia is advising citizens to avoid travel to Canada, citing what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against Russians, including physical violence, its foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Canada is one of the most vocal backers of Ukraine in the war against Moscow’s forces and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and companies as well as wide-scale trade bans.

“Due to the numerous instances of discrimination against Russian citizens ... in Canada, including physical violence, we recommend you refrain from traveling to this country for the purposes of tourism, education, and in the context of business relations,” the Russian foreign ministry said in an advisory, Reuters reported.

“If you are already in Canada, we urge you to be vigilant, especially in public places.”

The advisory, dated April 20, was posted on the ministry’s main Telegram channel on Saturday. The Canadian foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Shortly after the war started last year, Canada advised citizens to avoid all travel to Russia.

Russia last week imposed sanctions on 333 Canadian officials and public figures, including prominent Olympians, in what it said was a tit-for-tat response to Canadian restrictions on Moscow and support for Ukraine.

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India’s Navy Launches Submarine, Warships to Guard against China’s Presence in Indian Ocean

A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
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India’s Navy Launches Submarine, Warships to Guard against China’s Presence in Indian Ocean

A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A view of the Indian Navy's three frontline vessels during the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai, India, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

India's navy on Wednesday simultaneously launched a submarine, a destroyer and a frigate built at a state-run shipyard, underscoring the importance of protecting the Indian Ocean region through which 95% of the country's trade moves amid a strong Chinese presence.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Atlantic Ocean’s importance has shifted to the Indian Ocean region, which is becoming a center of international power rivalry.

“India is giving the biggest importance to making its navy powerful to protect its interests,” he said.

“The commissioning of three major naval combatants marks a significant leap forward in realizing India’s vision of becoming a global leader in defense manufacturing and maritime security,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while commissioning the vessels at the state-run Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai.

The situation in the Indian Ocean region is challenging with the Chinese navy, India’s main rival, growing exponentially, said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst.

Bedi said that the INS Vagsheer submarine, the sixth among a French license-built Kalvari (Scorpene)-class conventional diesel-electric submarines, is aimed at replacing aging Indian underwater platforms and plugging serious capability gaps in existing ones. India now has a total of 16 submarines.

The P75 Scorpene submarine project represents India’s growing expertise in submarine construction in collaboration with the Naval Group of France, Bedi said.

India’s defense ministry is expected to conclude a deal for three additional Scorpene submarines to be built in India during Modi’s likely visit to Paris next month to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

However, the first of these boats, according to the Indian navy, is only likely to be commissioned by 2031.

India commissioned its first home-built aircraft carrier in 2022 to counter regional rival China’s much more extensive and growing fleet and expand its indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.

The INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “powerful” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier. It joins the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya, which India purchased from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.