2 Russian Nationals Fleeing Putin’s Draft Seek Asylum In U.S. After Reaching Alaska

Topline

Two Russian nationals who fled the country to avoid being drafted into Moscow’s war in Ukraine are seeking asylum in the United States after reaching a remote island in western Alaska by boat, Alaska’s senators said in a press release Thursday—as Russians turn to more drastic measures to escape fighting in the war.

Two Russians fleeing Putin’s military draft arrived in Gambell, Alaska, looking for Asylum.

Corbis via Getty Images

Key Facts

Murkowski said state officials are “actively engaged” with the federal government and residents in the small Alaskan city of Gambell, where the two Russians landed, to identify them.

In a joint press release, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R) Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R) said the federal Customs and Border Protection is in the process of determining whether the two Russians can enter the country.

Sullivan also said he contacted the Department of Homeland Security to devise a plan with the Coast Guard in case “more Russians flee to Bering Strait communities” in Alaska.

The announcement comes two weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order for 300,000 additional troops to fight in Ukraine and as Russian forces face major territorial setbacks in the eastern Kharkiv region, where last month, Ukrainian troops forced them to almost completely surrender from the area.

Key Background

In addition to the conscription, Putin also threatened the use of nuclear weapons, saying it’s not off the table, as the war enters its eighth month. Last week, Moscow claimed overwhelming support in a series of referendums for four eastern Ukrainian regions to be annexed into Russia, though Ukraine and Western allies denounced the referendums as shams. President Joe Biden said the U.S. “will never recognize Ukrainian territory as anything other than part of Ukraine,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to defend citizens in those regions.

Tangent

Many military-age Russians have fled the country to neighboring Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Georgia, where 12-hour-long lines to enter reportedly stretched for miles, as well as countries in northern and eastern Europe. Between September 26 and October 2, some 53,000 Russians entered European Union countries, including 29,000 who entered Finland, according to data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, although the Scandinavian country announced late last month it would close its borders to Russian tourists to keep it from becoming overwhelmed. Finnish officials later clarified it’s still “important to ensure that people can enter on humanitarian grounds.” Nine other European Union member countries also stopped taking Russian travel visas: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovakia. Meanwhile, other Russians have resorted to more drastic measures, including self-mutilation, to avoid being drafted.

Crucial Quote

“This incident makes two things clear: First, the Russian people don’t want to fight Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” and, “second, given Alaska’s proximity to Russia, our state has a vital role to play in securing America’s national security,” Sullivan (R-Ak.) said in the joint press release.

Chief Critic

Murkowski noted the only people available to assist the two Russians were local and state law enforcement officials, criticizing a “lacking” federal response and pushing for a “stronger security posture in America’s Arctic.” Customs and Border Protection sent in a Coast Guard aircraft that was 750 miles from the town, according to the press release.