The Governor of Alaska has reacted to statements from a Russian lawmaker that they want his state back, warning that Alaskans are armed and would resist this takeover.
Governor Mike Dunleavy responded to comments made by Oleg Matveychev, a member of the Russian Duma. Matveychev told state TV on Sunday that Russia should be seeking reparations from the US for its lost territories, Newsweek reported.
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Matveychev was speaking on a show called ‘Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov’ when he said “We should be thinking about reparations from the damage that was caused by the sanctions and the war itself because that too costs money and we should get it back”, and added, “The return of all Russian properties, those of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and current Russia, which has been seized in the United States, and so on”.
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When asked if this includes Alaska and Fort Ross in California, which was formerly a Russian settlement, Matveychev replied, “That was my next point. As well as the Antarctic. We discovered it, so it belongs to us”.
His remarks come amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to the slew of sanctions imposed on the nation by US President Joe Biden, Russia has hit back with counter-sanctions, accusing top US government officials of “Russophobia“.
Dunleavy, a Republican who’s been Alaska’s governor since 2018 shared a Daily Mail article with the Russian lawmaker’s comments, and wrote “Good luck with that! Not if we have something to say about it. We have hundreds of thousands of armed Alaskans and military members that will see it differently”.
Notably, Alaska was part of Russia’s territory in the late 18th and 19th centuries but the US bought it in 1867 for $7.2 million. Meanwhile, Fort Ross, near San Francisco was sold to a private buyer in 1841. Russia has never formally asserted its claim on either of the territories before.
