Two Russian citizens, Maxim and Sergey, who travelled from Russia’s Chukotka to Alaska on a boat in an attempt to dodge fighting in the Ukraine war have been released from the US police immigration detention centre. The men shared their story with The Economist.
Maxim and Sergey were released following three months in custody and will soon be able to secure the right to live and work in the US legally.
According to them, a Ukrainian priest from Tacoma provided them with a home and paid their bail.
In early October, the men sailed more than 400 km aboard a four-metre-long boat across the Bering Sea and arrived on the US Island of St. Lawrence. They were detained by the police two days later.
When speaking to the locals, the men explained that they were fleeing the Russian army.
In turn, Russia’s RIA Novosti reported citing a source that the men were not dodging mobilisation but “fleeing prosecution for certain actions in Russia”.
