Russians Invade Alaskan Island to Seek Asylum, Escape Military Service

For years, we wondered if Russians would eventually land on Alaskan shores via boat in an attempt to gain access to the United States, and on Thursday, it finally happened. Except, they aren’t invading; they’re here asking for help in the way of asylum because the conscription life apparently isn’t for them.

According to an Associated Press report on Thursday, two Russian nationals used their geographically convenient access to the United States to escape involuntary military service as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to complete his goal of annexing parts of Ukraine, and perhaps reassembling a large invasion force for round two. Thousands, probably more, of Russians have already fled the Motherland in hopes that they’ll not be drafted into fighting in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The fleeing Russian men landed on the shore in Gambell, Alaska, located on the northwestern tip of St. Lawrence Island.

anchorage daily news: two russians detained on alaska’s st. lawrence island after successfully fleeing russia

in a lifeboat from putin’s sinking ship pic.twitter.com/VRR7Rdtjra

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 6, 2022

A BBC report provided greater detail of the journey taken by the two Russian men:

A spokesperson for Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office reported that they have been in touch with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding the Russians’ status, and confirmed that the two Russian nationals “reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service.”

The Alaskan senator released a statement on the developing situation, and in it, she took a shot at the near complete lack of federal immigration resources on America’s “Artic” border:

We are actively engaged with federal officials and residents in Gambell to determine who these individuals are, but right now, we already know that the federal response was lacking. Only local officials and state law enforcement had the capability to immediately respond to the asylum seekers, while Customs and Border Protection had to dispatch a Coast Guard aircraft from over 750 miles away to get on scene.

This situation underscores the need for a stronger security posture in America’s Arctic, which I have championed throughout my time in the Senate.

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) also released a statement on the matter, revealing that given the current tensions between Russia and the United States, he felt it necessary to inform Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and another top DHS official.

“I continue to be in regular communication with DHS Secretary Mayorkas and officials at Customs and Border Protection and have encouraged them to have a plan ready with the Coast Guard in the event that more Russians flee to Bering Strait communities in Alaska,” Sullivan’s statement read.

He added: “This incident makes two things clear: First, the Russian people don’t want to fight Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Second, given Alaska’s proximity to Russia, our state has a vital role to play in securing America’s national security.”

Sullivan concluded by echoing Murkowski’s concerns that the Artic border is completely unsecured and urged the Biden administration to consider adding “infrastructure, Coast Guard assets, ports and strategic defense assets” to shore up the region, especially if this marks the beginning of a new trend of hundreds, or even thousands of Russians fleeing to the United States.

BBC added that the two men’s asylum claims are currently being processed.