Two Russian citizens were rescued last Tuesday (4) by the United States Coast Guard on the remote island of Saint Lawrence, in Alaska, where they arrived in a boat after fleeing their country to avoid being recruited by the Russian army to fight in the Ukraine.
Alaska’s Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, confirmed on Thursday (6) that citizens have applied for asylum in the country.
The Russians arrived last Monday night at a beach on the island located in the municipality of Gambell and were assisted by local residents, until the Coast Guard arrived the next day with Customs and Border Protection officials.
“This incident makes two things clear: first, the Russian people do not want to fight in Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Second, given Alaska’s proximity to Russia, our state has a vital role to play in ensuring the national security of the United States,” they noted.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy himself confirmed the news and said that this is a “unique” case. “We do not anticipate an influx of people, there is no indication that this will happen,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on September 21 the mobilization of more troops, prompting an exodus of hundreds of thousands of men from the country.
Saint Lawrence is an island in the Bering Sea, located west of the Alaska Peninsula, south of the Bering Strait. It is part of the state of Alaska, but closer to the Russian coast than to the mainland.
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