Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said during a Wednesday night news conference that the arrival of two Russian nationals seeking asylum in the US to avoid Moscow’s draft had been a surprise and that officials “don’t anticipate a continual stream of individuals.”
The Russians crossed the Bering Strait, landing on western Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island earlier this week.
“The Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service,” said Karina Borger, a spokesperson for Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The governor said “this is maybe a one-off” incident, warning of a storm hitting areas of northwest Alaska and adding that “any type of transiting the Bering Strait for the next couple days could be dangerous.”
The individuals were transported to Anchorage for inspection, which includes screening and vetting, and were then processed in accordance with US immigration laws, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told CNN.
The Russian Embassy in Washington said its diplomats will hold a “telephone conversation” with the two male citizens, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
More context: The pair’s arrival in Gambell, Alaska, follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call last month for “partial mobilization” of the country’s population, prompting an exodus of Russian men out of the country, with cars lining up to cross the border into neighboring Finland, Georgia and Mongolia.
Protests of the draft have erupted in ethnic minority regions, and some military enlistment offices have been set on fire. The mobilization announcement also prompted anti-war protests across Russia.
At its narrowest point, the distance between mainland Russia and Alaska is 55 miles (88 kilometers), according to Alaska Public Lands Information Centers.
CNN has reached out to the Alaska governor’s office.
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