Chris Lange, FISM News

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Two men fleeing Russia’s draft beached their boat on the shore of Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island on Tuesday, claiming asylum. Local authorities who discovered the men called in the U.S. Coast Guard to assist. 

The Russians told locals that they had sailed their small vessel to the island from Egvekinot in northeastern Russia, a distance of about 300 miles. Reports did not indicate how long the men were at sea.

Alaska’s News Source reported that the men told authorities they “fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service”.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrival of the two Russians and said they had been taken to Anchorage “for inspection, which includes a screening and vetting process, and then subsequently processed in accordance with applicable U.S. immigration laws,” a department spokesperson said.

More than 200,000 men so far have reportedly fled Russia to avoid a conscription drive announced by President Vladimir Putin last month. 

Alaska’s two senators, Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, on Thursday said the two Russians landed at a beach near the town of Gambell, an isolated Alaska Native community of about 600 people on St. Lawrence Island, the Associated Press reported. Sullivan said he was notified of the situation by a “senior community leader from the Bering Strait region” on Tuesday morning.

He said that he has since been in contact with federal authorities to suggest that they put a plan in place in the event more Russians arrive on Alaska’s shores.

“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 securing America’s national security,” Sullivan said.

Murkowski said that the situation confirms “the need for a stronger security posture in America’s Arctic.”

CBP has seen an increase in Russians attempting to enter the U.S. in recent months, though most do so through Mexico, where they fly in under the guise of tourism. However, border authorities reported 42 stops in August involving Russian nationals who had tried to gain entry through Canada.