WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th October, 2022) Moscow is aware of the detention of two Russian citizens by US authorities in Alaska for sailing to a remote island in search of asylum, the Russian Embassy to the United States said in a statement.
"The embassy is aware of the situation involving citizens detained in the state of Alaska. A notification was received today from the Anchorage office of US Customs and Border Protection," the statement said on Thursday.
A telephone conversation will soon be arranged with the two Russian nationals to provide them with the necessary consular and legal assistance, the statement added.
The duo was detained after sailing to the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, which is located approximately 40 miles from the Russian mainland - closer than it is to the Alaskan mainland.
The two individuals were seeking asylum in the United States, possibly to avoid the partial mobilization by the Russian military, according to a statement from US Senators from Alaska Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
Most of the land on St. Lawrence Island is owned by Yupik peoples, who reside across Alaska and the Russian Far East. Yupiks from Russia have previously sailed to St. Lawrence Island to engage culturally with their fellow Yupiks living there.
A US Coast Guard plane was dispatched from over 750 miles away to transport Federal border patrol agents to the island to detain the two Russian nationals, according to the senators' statement. The situation highlights the need for a stronger US presence in the Arctic, the statement said.
Sullivan has urged federal officials to have plans prepared with the Coast Guard in the event more Russians attempt to flee to Bering Strait communities in Alaska, the statement added.
