Russia managed to free Viktor Bout in trade for Brittney Griner. It stands to reason then that more US citizens are a handy asset to have for trading.

Many other US citizens have been rotting in Russian jail for the same crime with no effort made to free them, so it stands to reason that any normal tourist wouldn't have a lot of bargaining value. Biden only traded for Griner because she's a woman and famous, despite the fact that she was 100% guilty.

Is it wrong to assume that the two are not wholly unrelated activities?

It is reasonable to consider whether both motives apply, but one should also note that the former alone is sufficient reason for this action (and also sufficient reason for individual US citizens to carefully consider whether they want to be in Russia or its puppet states.)

If the US were planning to take a more aggressive stance with Russia, the first move would be to get their citizens/potential hostages out of reach.

Obviously, not everyone will leave, but now the administration can say "they were warned" if they get caught in the political crossfire later.

When I saw the title, I feared a much scarier message: "sh*t's about to go down".

This is much better.

> this is due to arbitrary arrests of US citizens

That's the reason given, although that may not overlap perfectly with "this is due to"

Can you share links/news of any recent arbitrary arrests of US citizens in Russia? I'm not suggesting it's not happening, just that I haven't seen any other than clear violations of the law.

I'm just quoting the article. You can read it and see.

if you stay in russia after all that is happening, you deserve everything you get