‘Our Alaska’: Russia’s new talking point sparks U.S. alarm
Posturing from Russia has heated up after both Russian and Chinese jets were found in international airspace only 200 miles from Alaska, and joining the chorus are Russian broadcasters now saying it’s “our Alaska.”
Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867 and was considered a “bargain basement deal. “For a price of $7.2 million (equivalent to $129 million in 2023), the oil- and resource-rich state has now become a coveted prize for Russia, which sits only 55 miles away at its closest point.
Russian broadcaster Olga Skabeyeva, host of Russia-1 program 60 Minutes, recently referred to Alaska as Russia’s Alaska during a weekend show. Her co-host, Adalbi Shkhagoshev, who is also a deputy in Russia’s parliament, commented on the interception of Russian and Chinese aircrafts.
“Our aircraft approached the borders of Alaska,” Shkhagoshev said, before being corrected by Skabeyeva who said “our Alaska.”
“Right now the head of the Pentagon is hiccupping nervously somewhere. You said ‘our Alaska,’ and he just said that if Russian and Chinese planes penetrate the territory that the U.S. considers its own, the U.S. is ready to enter the war,” Skabeyeva said.
According to the Daily Express UK, it is a common belief among Russian TV personalities and propagandists that one day Alaska will once again belong to Russia, with some even calling for a strike to be made to seize back control.
U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns over the interception, with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, calling for more military resources to the area.
“As I have been warning our Pentagon leaders for years, these kinds of joint Russia and China incursions on the sea and in the air near Alaska will continue,” Sullivan said in a statement. “For that reason, the United States needs to continue to build up our military forces and the infrastructure that goes with it in Alaska to protect our nation’s vital interests in the Arctic,” Sullivan said, according to a report from Roll Call.
Sullivan praised the U.S. Air Force, and the Canadian Air Force on X for responding promptly.
“The Russian & Chinese bombers operating near Alaska yesterday were met by US Air Force F-16s & F-35s, and RCAF ARC CF-18 fighters. This is the kind of strong demonstration of American power these dictators need to see whenever they come near our airspace. Great job again to our Alaska-based military for flawlessly conducting this latest intercept mission,” Sullivan wrote on X.
The Russian & Chinese bombers operating near Alaska yesterday were met by @usairforce F-16s & F-35s, and @RCAF_ARC CF-18 fighters.
This is the kind of strong demonstration of American power these dictators need to see whenever they come near our airspace.
Great job again to… https://t.co/mEUSgLyh5S
— Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) July 25, 2024
A document released by the U.S. Department of Defense Arctic strategy in late June stressed the need to increase military presence, a strategy that works alongside the 2022 National Security Strategy, and the Department of Defense.
“The NSAR states that the United States seeks an Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative. In support of this national-level objective, DoD, in cooperation with our Allies and partners, will pursue an end state that preserves the Arctic as a stable region in which the U.S. homeland remains secure and vital national interests are safeguarded,” the document states in its executive summary.
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