Russian State TV recently broadcasted a segment of a talk show during which the hosts discussed the potential of Alaska joining Russia.
In the show, the host makes a joke saying: “Do you know what they call Alaska? Ice Crimea.”
He then adds that Alaska will “one day return to its native shores.”
The hosts are referencing the fact that Alaska once “belonged” to Russia, before being sold to the United States in 1866. This echoes rhetoric used in the war in Ukraine, that Ukraine “belonged” to Russia, and therefore should rejoin its so-called native land.
The Pentagon did not provide a statement when approached for comment on these claims by Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
The clip was posted on September 20 by Anton Geraschenko, a former member of the Ukraine parliament, and current adviser for the interior minister of Ukraine.
He captioned the clip on his X, formerly Twitter, account: “Attention, United States! Russian propagandists are discussing possible options for the “return” of Alaska.”
The men in the clip also claim that the US is “very scared,” and that the US has deployed a division with HIMARS systems (High Mobility Artillery Rockets) to the Aleutian Islands, a chain of islands beside Alaska.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Army for comment on the veracity of these claims.
Tensions around Russia and Alaska intensified in January 2024, when reports surfaced that President Putin was looking into re-obtaining Russia’s former “real estate” abroad.
“I think I can speak for all of us in the U.S. government to say that certainly he’s not getting [Alaska] back,” said State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press briefing about the incident in January.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy in Juneau, Alaska, in 2024. Dunleavy has recently asked for more military aid to protect Alaska.
Becky Bohrer/Associated Press
At the time, former Russia Prime Minister Dmitry Mevedev joked about Alaska on X, teasing that “war is unavoidable,” since the State Department said Russia was not getting Alaska back. He added a laughing emoji to the post.
Newsweek has contacted the State Department via phone and online form for further comment.
In recent days there has been an increase in foreign activity near Alaska, according to a statement from Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy on September 17. “Once again our military has had to respond to activities by our nation’s adversaries. Russian and Chinese incursions into U.S. zones off Alaska have become an increasingly frequent occurrence,” it said.
Dunleavy urged leaders in Washington to recognize that Russia has increased its military presence in the region.
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