US Detains 2 Russian Citizens Who Sailed To Remote Alaskan Island - Reports

US Detains 2 Russian Citizens Who Sailed to Remote Alaskan Island - Reports

US law enforcement has detained two Russian citizens who sailed to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska earlier this week, the Anchorage Daily News reported, citing federal and state officials

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2022) US law enforcement has detained two Russian citizens who sailed to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska earlier this week, the Anchorage Daily news reported, citing Federal and state officials.

The two individuals were detained after arriving at the island's village of Gambell, from where they were later taken to Anchorage, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy was quoted as saying in the report..

The incident came as a surprise to officials, who do not anticipate a stream of individuals in the area, Dunleavy added.

The village of Gambell is less than 40 miles from the Russian mainland - closer than it is to the Alaskan mainland. The island is thought to be part of the remnants of the land bridge believed to have once linked Asia to North America.

The US Coast Guard sent a plane to St. Lawrence Island with Customs and Border Protection agents on Tuesday to take the two individuals into custody and transport them off the island after word of their arrival spread, the report quoted US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said.

US Senator Dan Sullivan contacted the Department of Homeland Security after hearing about the incident from a community leader, Sullivan's communications director Mike Reynard also said in the report.

Most of the land on St. Lawrence Island is owned by Yupik peoples, who reside across Alaska and the Russian Far East. Yupiks from Russia have previously sailed to St. Lawrence to engage culturally with the Yupiks of St. Lawrence Island.