Russian soldiers who fled to Alaska await US asylum decision
Two Russian dissidents defected from Russia before being deployed to Ukraine. After a 5-day journey to Alaska, they now await the result of their asylum claim in the US.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF Published: DECEMBER 2, 2022 01:28
Updated: DECEMBER 2, 2022 06:08Email Twitter Facebook fb-messenger
Two Russian dissidents who fled conscription into the Russian army, and faced deployment into the frontlines in Ukraine fled to Alaska via fishing boat and now await the result of their asylum claims in Washington state, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Sergey and Maksim, the AWOL soldiers in their 30s who go only by their first names to protect their identities from the Russian government, are being held in an immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington. They have been there since October 2022, when they arrived in Gambell, Alaska on a fishing boat.
Local resident Curtis Silook was harvesting ducks when he saw the Russian dissident’s boat creeping closer to shore. Silook, who also serves as the city clerk, said he assumed the boat belonged to a local resident that was bringing it back to shore to protect it from a storm. What locals uncovered was far more surprising.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-723908
