Russian Allies Push for Seizing Alaska from the United States

Monday, 11/12/2023 11:35 WIB

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin waves with a smile while attending Russian Victory Day in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday (9/5/2023). (Getty Images)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Close allies of President Vladimir Putin and members of the Russian Parliament encourage Moscow to consider seizing Alaska from the United States.

Alaska, the largest US state by area located west of Canada, was the 49th state to join the union, and joined in January 1959.

Previously, the Russian Empire had attempted to colonize the region in the 18th century, before selling the territory to the US for US$7.2 million, or about US$150 million adjusted for inflation, because it was difficult to defend. At their closest point, Alaska and Russia are only about 53 miles apart, separated by the waters of the Bering Strait.

Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that US oversight and power were weakening, citing Venezuela’s recent efforts to seize land controlled by neighboring Guyana.

The politician suggested that other countries should consider reclaiming old territories that are now part of the US, citing the examples of Mexico and Texas, as well as Russia and Alaska.

Mironov’s post was highlighted and translated by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister and a vocal critic of Russia, on social media.

“Do you want a new world order? This is it,” wrote Mironov, as translated by Gerashchenko, quoted from Newsweek.

“Venezuela is annexing its 24th state, Guyana-Essekibo. This is happening right under the control of the once great hegemon of the US. All that remains is for Mexico to take back Texas and all of its territory. It’s time for America to think about its future , and also about Alaska.”

In the past, Putin himself has been silent on the prospect of reclaiming Alaska, even as some in his government have tried to support the idea.

“Why do you need Alaska?” Putin said during a question-and-answer panel in 2014 when asked about the idea of taking back the territory by Russian citizens.

“By the way, Alaska was sold sometime in the 19th century. Louisiana was sold to the United States by France at about the same time. Thousands of square kilometers were sold for US$7.2 million, albeit in gold.”

Putin went on to call the Alaska purchase a “cheap” purchase and urged his constituents not to “think too much about it.”

Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Volodin, a close Putin ally and chairman of the State Duma, suggested in 2022 that Moscow should retake Alaska as an act of retaliation against the US for the heavy economic sanctions imposed on them following the invasion of Ukraine.

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