Two Russians arrived by boat on an Alaskan island and applied for asylum in the United States. This was announced by Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan on Thursday (local time). According to the Anchorage Daily News, the two Russian nationals have already been flown out of St. Lawrence Island in the Arctic Bering Sea and, according to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, taken to Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage.
The incident illustrates two things, Senator Sullivan said in the statement: “First, the Russian people do not want to fight Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Second, given Alaska’s proximity to Russia, our state has a vital role in ensuring America’s national security.”
The two Republicans criticized the lack of presence of federal forces such as the Coast Guard in their state and called for more support from the US government in securing the state border. Washington must urgently prioritize capacities in the Arctic, such as infrastructure and defense forces. Border Patrol and the Coast Guard must have a ready plan in place in case “more Russians flee to the Bering Strait communities in Alaska,” Sullivan said.