A member of Russia’s Wagner Group has made provocative remarks threatening to reclaim Alaska, echoing rhetoric that has surfaced in Russian political circles in recent years.
Aleksey Berezutski, a Wagner Group officer, stated, “Alaska, we will definitely come back to you, Russia!” on social media, sharing AI-generated images depicting Russian paratroopers landing on Alaskan shores.
The tweet quickly gained traction, amassing over 14 million views on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X.
While the claim may appear far-fetched, it highlights an ongoing narrative pushed by certain factions within Russia, including officials in the State Duma. In June 2022, Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Russian State Duma, warned the U.S. to remember Russia’s historical claim to Alaska.
“America should always remember: there is a part of its territory that used to belong to Russia – Alaska,” Volodin stated.
Alaska was sold to the United States by Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, a transaction formalized in the Treaty of Cession.
While largely viewed as settled history, recent Russian rhetoric has reignited attention on the issue. In January 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to allocate funds for investigating and registering Russian property abroad, including territories once controlled by the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Although Alaska was not specifically mentioned, military bloggers seized on the decree, alleging it was aimed at invalidating the 1867 sale.
The U.S. government has brushed off such statements as unserious. When questioned, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel dismissed the threats outright.
“I think I can speak for all of us in the U.S. government and say that he (Putin) definitely isn’t getting Alaska back,” Patel said during a briefing, prompting laughter from the audience.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, responded sarcastically to the U.S. dismissal. Writing on social media, Medvedev said, “According to the State Department representative, Russia will not get Alaska back, which it sold in the 19th century. Well, then we’ll just wait for its return any day now. War is now unavoidable.” He punctuated the statement with a smiley face emoji.
The threats from Berezutski and Medvedev have raised concerns about the use of provocative rhetoric for domestic political purposes. Analysts note that such statements, while not credible as military threats, play into nationalist sentiment in Russia amid ongoing tensions with the West.