Two Russian citizens arrived on a raft on an Alaskan beach and applied for asylum in the United States, local authorities reported Thursday.
“On Tuesday a small boat occupied by two Russian nationals washed ashore in rural Alaska,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The ship docked on the island of San Lorenzo, in the Bering Sea, near the Russian coast, informed the senators of the Arctic state, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
The personal information of the individuals or details of the journey were not revealed by the US authorities, a country that has positioned itself against the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began more than six months ago.
According to immigration authorities, both people were taken to Anchorage “for inspection and to be processed in accordance with US immigration laws.”
The individuals “are in federal custody,” Jeff Turner, a spokesman for Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, told AFP.
“We are in contact with federal officials and residents of Gambell to determine who these individuals are,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a statement. “This situation underscores the need for a stronger security posture in the United States’ Arctic,” the Republican added.
In mid-September, Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization to reinforce his troops in Ukraine with some 300,000 reservists. The announcement caused a flood on the websites of airlines in the following days in search of options to leave Russia.
This Thursday, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, did not rule out meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during the G20 summit next month in Asia.
“That remains to be seen,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would use the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, to speak directly with Putin.
