Anti-American Sentiment Growing In Russia

Anna Arutunyan, Special for USA TODAY 10:29 a.m. EDT June 6, 2014

MOSCOW — Anti-American sentiment here is growing as Russia responds to Western sanctions over Ukraine, and that is worrying expats and foreigners in this country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a controversial law this week making it a criminal offense to fail to report dual citizenship. It's a bid to keep track of potential foreign agents. Russian citizens who also hold a U.S. passport or one from another country have 60 days to notify the Federal Migration Service of their status or face a fine of nearly $6,000.

A survey published Thursday by the Levada Center, an independent pollster, shows that 71% of Russians view the United States "badly" or "very badly" — the highest in more than 20 years, with more positive attitudes registered during the Soviet era.

While that hasn't translated into outright aggression, it is sparking some additional curiosity toward foreigners in the street.

"My husband ... recently had the experience of running into a man in a store who didn't like that our son was communicating in English," said Natalia Antonova, a Ukrainian-American journalist and playwright who lives in Moscow.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/06/06/putin-foreigners-russia/10003575/