PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Russian tourists are flocking to Montenegro despite warnings from Moscow against their visits to the latest NATO-member country.

Montenegro's tourism organization said Sunday that Russians had more than 179,000 overnight stays in the first six months in the tiny Adriatic Sea country, four times more than the same period last year.

When Montenegro joined NATO in June despite the Kremlin's strong opposition, Russia's Foreign Ministry warned Russians against their visit to the former allied state, saying "there is an anti-Russian hysteria in Montenegro."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had warned Russians they could face provocations, arrests and expulsions.

Montenegro's authorities say that only in the last 15 days, about 13,000 Russians arrived through the seaside airport of Tivat, 15 percent more than during the same period last year.