Social media and other places were buzzing with commentary after Fox News posted a frightening report on Dec. 31, 2025: “U.S. Citizens Face Growing Danger as Government Advises Swift Departure from One Country.” That country was Russia, and the article claimed that “The State Department has renewed its ‘do not travel’ advisory for Russia.” Alongside the recent drone strikes inside Russia and attempts to split U.S. President Donald Trump off his track of pursuing negotiations with Russia, the Fox News article seemed to indicate a deterioration in Russian relations with the U.S. The only problem is that the report was intentionally dishonest.
The only thing the State Department actually did was to update the page with its already-existing advisory, which has been in place since 2022. But Fox News conveniently made that fact ambiguous. The language includes statements such as “Do not travel to Russia for any reason,” and “Russian officials often question and threaten U.S. citizens without reason,” but nothing is new or adjusted over the recent period. In fact, the State Department has had a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Russia since the Covid pandemic in 2019.
