Russian escapees flee Putin’s war in Alaska

Two Russians braved miles of open sea on board a vessel from Russia to a small isolated island in Alaska with the apparent aim of not being snared in President Vladimir V. Putin's mandatory conscription to fight in Ukraine, two U.S. senators said on Thursday.

The two escapees appeared to have accomplished their goal, landing on a beach off the northwest tip of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea this week and requesting asylum in the United States, according to a statement from Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Republicans of Alaska.

Sullivan said he had contacted the secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, after being informed about the duo whose escape underlined the desperation of Russians seeking to escape Mr. Putin's war.

The incident makes two things clear, Mr. Sullivan said. First, the Russian people don't want to fight Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. Alaska's proximity to Russia makes our state a vital role in securing America's national security.