They docked at the island of San Lorenzo, in the Bering Sea. Another scene of flight to avoid the mobilization ordered by the Russian president for the war in Ukraine.
A raft with two Russian citizens interrupted the tranquility of the Island of San Lorenzo, in Alaska. After cross the Bering Sea, docked on US soil and they asked for asylum to the government of Joe Biden, to avoid the partial mobilization ordered by Vladimir Putin in his desperate attempt to stop the withdrawal of the war in ukraine.
“On Tuesday a small boat occupied by two Russian nationals washed ashore in rural Alaska,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The ship docked at Saint Lawrence Island, which houses 1,300 inhabitants in its 4,600 square kilometers in the middle of the Bering Sea. The landing point is about 80 kilometers from Russiain a critical area for the low temperatures and that it is in the last months before the ice that characterizes the harsh northern winter arrives.
The authorities did not reveal the identities of the citizens or the details of the journey. According to immigration authorities, both people were brought to Anchoragecapital city of the state, “for inspection and to be processed in accordance with United States immigration laws”.
Individuals “are in federal custodyJeff Turner, a spokesman for Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, told AFP.
“We are in contact with federal officials and residents of Gambell to determine who these individuals are,” Senator Lisa Murkowski added in a statement.
The Russo-Ukrainian War and Security in the Arctic
The situation uncovered two US concerns. One on a planetary scale, the future of the Russia-Ukraine war and the tense relations with the Vladimir Putin regime. The other, at the local level: security in the Arctic.
“His arrival took us by surprise,” admitted Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. “We don’t expect a continuous flow. There are no indications in this regard and this could be a one-off event,” he added. Senator Dan Sullivan, on the other hand, does not exclude new arrivals.
The arrival came after Putin ordered a partial mobilization in mid-September to reinforce his troops in Ukraine, seeking to stop the retreat of his military forces.
the order of recruit about 300 thousand soldiers generated a massive flight of Russians from their country: in the days that followed there was an avalanche of visits to the websites of airlines and it is estimated that more than 700 thousand people fled to avoid military service.
The surprise landing also exposed security concerns in the Arctic.
Federal authorities “should have a plan list in the event that other Russians decide to cross the Bering Strait and reach Alaska,” asked Senator Sullivan, attentive to winter freezes.
The incident “clearly shows two things: the first is that heRussians don’t want to fight Putin’s war against Ukraine. The second is that, given the proximity to Russia, Alaska plays a crucial role in the national security of the United States,” Sullivan summarized.
He was joined by Senator Lisa Murkowski, according to whom the incident highlights the “need for greater security in the American Arctic.”
This Thursday, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, did not rule out meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during the G20 summit next month in Asia. “That remains to be seen,” declared the president when asked if he will take advantage of the meeting in Bali, Indonesiato speak directly with the leader of Russia.
With information from AFP and ANSA
DS