Two Russians seek shelter in Alaska

• Two Russian nationals were apprehended by US officials on St Lawrence Island, Alaska.
• Thousands of Russians have fled Ukraine to evade conscription.
• Gambell inhabitants can see Siberia over the water, local media say. The duo’s asylum claim is being processed, according to DHS.

Two Russian nationals were apprehended by US officials on St Lawrence Island, Alaska.

According to the state’s two senators, the men landed in Gambell and claimed asylum.

The duo’s asylum claim is being processed, according to DHS.

Thousands of Russians have fled Ukraine to evade conscription.

Gambell, with fewer than 500 persons, is on St. Lawrence Island’s northwestern cape. The island is 36 miles (56km) from Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula, closer to Russia than to Alaska. Gambell inhabitants can see Siberia over the water, local media say.

A small town clerk told KTUU that the men sailed there from Egvekinot in northeastern Russia and were flown off the island.

The men arrived “on a tiny boat on Tuesday” and were flown to Anchorage for “vetting and screening.”

Governor Mike Dunleavy stated Wednesday that their appearance “surprised us.”

“We don’t expect a constant flow of people. We have no clue that’ll happen, thus this may be an outlier “Adding,

Senator Dan Sullivan said Gambell community leaders notified him about the men’s arrival.

Mr. Sullivan urged federal authorities to prepare “in case more Russians flee to Alaska’s Bering Strait villages.”

“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,”  Thursday’s statement.

Senator Lisa Murkowski said the event “highlights the need for a stronger security posture in America’s Arctic”.

Both have campaigned for increasing strategic defence capabilities and infrastructure to resist Russian threats.

Forbes Russia reported this week that 700,000 men may have departed the nation since Putin declared a partial troop mobilisation on 21 September.

Russian military have suffered massive battlefield losses and morale-crushing setbacks.

The arrivals in Alaska are a first, since most men have escaped overland to Kazakhstan, Georgia, Finland, and other European countries.

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