I SUPPOSE we should have seen it coming, but I admit it caught me off guard. Now that it has happened, I think to myself, of course!
On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that, due to heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine, the government would call up reserve units for service in the war. This provoked an immediate exodus of Russian reservists fleeing the country by any means possible.
The Russian government stands unified behind Putin, either in agreement with the invasion of Ukraine or too scared to express opposition. But the same cannot be said of the Russian people, who are increasingly mustering the courage to speak out against the war. The call-up meant it was time to put their money where their mouth is and perhaps as many as 700,000 men have fled the country to date, most ending up in Kazakhstan, Finland, or Georgia.
Two creative absconders have sought shelter from the storm in another place. A few days ago, the men, whose names have not been released, sailed from the town of Egvekinot on Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula to the town of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, a journey of 300 miles. Gambell actually sits closer to Russia (36 miles) than to mainland Alaska and many of its five hundred residents say they can see Russia across the water.
As for the men, the Department of Homeland Security confirms they were flown to Anchorage to have their request for asylum processed. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said their arrival “was a surprise to us,” and he does not anticipate a stream of refugees. “We have no indication that’s going to happen, so this may be a one-off,” he added.
It will not be that easy. The future of the two men is fraught with consequences. If the United States accepts the two refugees, it will further strain an already difficult relationship between the two countries. It will also signal to the Russian people that America is a safe place to seek shelter. The trickle could potentially become a flood. If that is to be the case, Alaska needs to have a plan and infrastructure in place, something they are currently working on.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan argued that federal authorities need “to have a plan ready…in the event that more Russians flee to Bering Strait communities in Alaska.” He added that “this incident makes two things clear: First, the Russian people don’t want to fight Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Second, given Alaska’s proximity to Russia, our state has a vital role to play” in the international crisis.
Sullivan could be more correct than he realizes. Russian forces have moved to block the exodus of reservists fleeing the country, but most of their resources are devoted to Russia’s western borders, where it meets with European nations. Manpower in Siberian regions is stretched much thinner, and escape is more likely to succeed. Now that it has occurred, expect more Russians to attempt flight to Alaska.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
