After 150 years after the sale of Alaska, Russian nationalists want her back
Ultra-right Russian nationalists mourn the 150 anniversary of the sale of Alaska to the United States of America, calling for the return of mistakenly sold territories.
Some historians consider Tsar Alexander II's decision to sell Alaska's rich natural resources for $7,2 million—about $125 million at today's exchange rate—a gross mistake.
“If Russia owned the Arctic today, there would be another geopolitical situation in the world,” said Sergey Aksenov, head of the annexed Crimea by Russia, in an interview with the Crimean TV channel.
The Russians began settling Alaska in 1784, setting up trading places and Orthodox churches there, mainly along the coast. By 1860, Russia lost the Crimean War and found itself in a difficult financial situation. The king was afraid of losing his American territory without any compensation and decided to make a deal with the United States.
Andrei Znamensky, a professor of history at the University of Memphis, told New York Timess that the irredentist demands for the return of alaska are not limited to extremists.
“This is a very convenient episode, exploited by nationalists who want expansion in Russia,” he says. “It corresponds to state rhetoric: see how the Americans treated us.”
According to TimesRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said recently: “A jubilee can, of course, cause various emotions. But this is a good reason to refresh the memories of the contribution of Russians to the development of the American continent. ”
This week at the “Arctic - Territory of Dialogue” forum in Russia, Putin said that Russia’s military activities in the Arctic territories are exclusively local in nature and do not pose any threat to global security, writes TACС.
“If what we do is local, what the United States is doing in Alaska is global. And there a missile defense system is being developed, and these systems, as you know, are one of the very serious problems of today's world in the field of security. And this is not just a defense system, it is part of the nuclear potential, moved to the periphery,” Putin said.
He noted that the Russian activities in the Arctic are associated with the work of recreating shipping in this region of the world and ensuring its safety. Putin said that the infrastructure being created will have a dual and even triple purpose, on the basis of which the Ministry of Emergency Situations will be built, scientific research will be carried out, and pollution control will be conducted.
“Moreover, we are also completely open in this regard and invite everyone to cooperate in this area, including our American partners,” Putin said.
Despite the views of some nationalists, the Kremlin shows no intentions to claim Alaska, as it annexed the Crimea in the 2014 year.
Reactions to the sale of Alaska 150 years ago were mostly positive at the time, although some Russians felt cheated. This allowed Russia to have a closer relationship with the United States, preventing the British from annexing it. For the United States, Alaska provided a trade route to China.
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