Two Russian men beached their boat on the shores of Gambell, St. Lawrence Island in Alaska on Tuesday, claiming asylum to avoid compulsory military service in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The island is about 40 miles from Russian soil.
According to Town Clerk Curtis Silook, the men informed locals that they had traveled over 300 miles from the city of Egvekinot in northeastern Russia. The men allegedly claimed that they were escaping the Russian military.
Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan’s office released a statement that read in part:
“Given current heightened tensions with Russia, Senator Sullivan then called the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and spoke to him as well as another senior DHS official. Since those calls, Customs and Border Protection is responding and going through the process to determine the admissibility of these individuals to enter the United States.”
Fellow Alaskan Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski called the federal response “lacking” and said that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had to send Coast Guard responders from over 750 miles away. CBP doesn’t have an active station in the area.
She said:
“Only local officials and state law enforcement had the capability to immediately respond to the asylum seekers, while Customs and Border Protection had to dispatch a Coast Guard aircraft from over 750 miles away to get on the scene. This situation underscores the need for a stronger security posture in America’s Arctic.”
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