A prominent U.S. business consultant has been held in Russia since May 20 for an alleged visa violation, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Scott Blacklin, a former president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Russia, has been held in the provincial city of Nizhny Novgorod since May 20. The U.S. raised the issue of his detention "several times at senior levels" in Moscow and in Washington, an official at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said, arguing that he violated no laws.
Russian officials said Mr. Blacklin will remain in custody until Friday, when he will be deported. He was also fined 5,000 rubles—about $93. A provincial court found that Mr. Blacklin’s activities in Russia—he delivered a lecture at a university—were incompatible with his visa.
Mr. Blacklin’s travails come as Moscow has toughened its stance toward U.S. citizens who allegedly violate terms of their stay in Russia. When another U.S. citizen last month was late in fulfilling a requirement to register his whereabouts with authorities in St. Petersburg, he was fined and deported.
Blacklin was also deported from Russia last year for another visa violation.