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A Russian lawmaker and close confidant of President Vladimir Putin (71) is demanding that Russia reclaim the state of Alaska from the US. The northernmost American state west of Canada is the largest state in the United States in terms of area – and was sold to the Americans for a ridiculous price until 156 years ago.
It was not until 1959 that Alaska became the 49th and second-to-last state (before Hawaii the same year) to be admitted to the Union. The Russian Empire had previously attempted to colonize the area. In 1867, the Russians sold Alaska by check to the US for $7.2 million.
Alaska and Russia are only about 60 miles apart in the Bering Strait. But the Russians found it difficult to supply and manage Alaska. A bargain for the Americans: it should have been one of the cheapest land purchases in history – which the Russians are apparently still gnawing at.
Mexico must retake Texas, Russia must retake Alaska
Duma deputy Sergei Mironov (70) suggested on Wednesday on X that Moscow should demand the return of Alaska. US influence and power would weaken globally, Mironow said. He also referred to Venezuela’s recent attempts to seize territory from neighboring Guyana.
Mironov suggested that other countries should also consider reclaiming ancient lost territories. He cited Mexico and Texas, as well as Russia and Alaska, as examples.
Putin: People should not “get angry” about “cheap” sales
Putin had already expressed his reservations about the Alaska issue in the past. “Why do you need Alaska?” he answered a citizen’s question on TV in 2014. “By the way, Alaska was sold sometime in the 19th century,” Putin explained. “Louisiana was sold to the United States by the French at about the same time.”
According to Putin, the same price for Louisiana as for Alaska: “Thousands of square kilometers were sold for 7.2 million dollars, but in gold.” Alaska’s sales were also “cheap,” the Kremlin leader said. He said, “You shouldn’t get angry about it.”
Imperial phantom pains
Russian ultranationalists’ greedy dreams of building a new Russian empire are not limited to Ukraine.
In March 2022, Duma deputy Oleg Matveychev demanded that the US voluntarily cede Alaska. As appropriate compensation for all the damage done to the ‘patriotic’ economy by Western sanctions.
In July 2022, Vyacheslav Volodin (59), chairman of the Russian State Duma, proposed that Moscow retake Alaska. In retaliation against the US for the heavy economic sanctions it imposed on Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
