Recently, the US Coast Guard received an “illegal-arrival tipoff from the middle of the Bering Sea.” It was reported that two Russian nationals made their way to St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. The pair is said to have traveled from the “ultra-remote Chukchi Peninsula, Russia’s northeasternmost district,” due to potential military service. [I]
The two men used a small boat and traveled along the Bering Sea. They crossed over to Gambell, a small community located at the northwestern corner of St. Lawrence Island. According to local residents, the Russians indicated that they “fled Russia to avoid military service, and they had traveled all the way from the town of Egvekinot, Chukotka, 300 miles away to the northwest.” [ii]
As a result, the US Coast Guard flew the two Russian nationals in an HC-130 SAR airplane, and they were taken into custody by the US Customs and Border Protection. The Governor of Alaska confirmed that Russian citizens had arrived. He denied that the efforts would likely be repeated, categorizing the incident as a “one-off.” [iii]
US Coast Guard HC-130J Silva/US Coast Guard/Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
Accordingly, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan says that the occurrence only further reiterates that “the Russian people don’t want to fight Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” The Bering Sea is characterized by “unforgiving” weather with wind speeds reaching up to 30 knots or 34 mph. [iv]
Overall, the incident highlights how closely the United States and Russia are situated. Diomede is an American town that sits between Russia and Alaska. It is on a small island in the Bering Sea called Little Diomede Island. Watch the video below to learn just how close Russia and the United States actually are. [v]
References
[i] The Maritime Executive, Two Russians Cross the Bering Sea in a Boat to Escape the Draft, (Oct. 6, 2022)
[ii] Id.
[iii] South China Morning Post, 2 Russians flee to remote Alaskan island to escape Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war draft, (Oct. 7, 2022)
[iv] Id.
[v] Map Nerd, You CAN walk from US to Russia!, (Apr. 14, 2022)
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[Article Note: This piece was originally published on NewsBreak and has been archived and transferred to DOPE Quick Reads to preserve its informational value. Original publication date: 2022-10-07]
