US man held in Moscow for attacking police - local media

A US citizen has been detained in Russia for alleged violence against a police officer, local media report.

The man was arrested in a Moscow hotel on the night of 12 August after refusing to "provide identification documents", news agency Interfax said on Wednesday, citing Russia's Investigative Committee.

A criminal case has been opened against him, and he could face up to five years in prison.

The number of criminal cases launched against US citizens in Russia has increased significantly in recent years.

Some of them, including US reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan, were freed in early August in the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War, when where 24 people jailed in seven different countries were exchanged.

The latest US citizen to be arrested was "behaving aggressively, using foul language” and was taken to a police station “because of his hooligan actions”, Moscow Region interior ministry spokesman Vladimir Vasenin said.

According to local media, the incident took place at the Radisson hotel in Moscow.

Officials said the man, who was not named in the report, would be charged and investigators would ask a court that he should be kept in custody.

The US state department said on Wednesday it was aware of "another American citizen being arrested in Russia, and we're working to get as much information as we can".

According to a spokesperson, the department has "no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas".

Several US citizens and other Western nationals remain in Russian prisons on a variety of charges.

Among them is Ksenia Karelina, a 32-year-old amateur ballerina and spa employee based in California.

Ms Karelina - a dual citizen who was visiting family members in the country - was arrested on treason charges, to which she pleaded guilty.

Security services accused Ms Karelina of collecting money that was used to purchase tactical supplies for the Ukrainian army.

Another US citizen, Marc Fogel, is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia.

Mr Fogel, a teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, was arrested at an airport in August 2021 and charged with carrying a small amount of medical marijuana which had been prescribed in the US.

Tensions between Moscow and the West have been high in recent years, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.