Ukraine War: Russian Lawmaker Threatens Iskander Attack On US; Says ‘Let Me Remind You, There’s Alaska Across The Strait’

By
Ashish Dangwal
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Amid continued support to Ukraine, a prominent Russian legislator has threatened the United States, stating that Russia could devastate Alaska with missile strikes.

During a broadcast on Russian state-run television, Andrey Gurulyov, a deputy of the Russian State Duma, accompanied by host Olga Skabeyeva and other Russian commentators, engaged in a discussion about potential attacks on various US targets, including the Lone Star State (Texas). 

However, Gurulyov intervened, stating that attacking Texas was unnecessary due to the presence of Russia’s strategic nuclear force, which already covers American territory.

“Let me remind you, there’s Alaska across the strait,” he added. 

The video, shared by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, contained subtitles that brought attention to the remarks above. 

These subtitles have since sparked concerns regarding the discussions and the growing tensions between the United States and Russia.

Gurulyov asserted that Russia possesses operational Iskander missiles and other ballistic and cruise missiles “quite capable of scouring Alaska to the ground.” He emphasized that only a few brigades would be sufficient to carry out such an attack.

When questioned about the motive behind attacking Alaska, Skabeyeva, a commentator, responded by stating that it would be done to instill fear in the United States. 

The remarks made by the Russian lawmaker align with a series of warnings issued by various Russian experts since the onset of the invasion of Ukraine last year.

The Russian commentators consistently disapproved of the United States’ decision to supply weapons to Ukraine. They alleged that these weapon supplies acted as a catalyst, fueling and intensifying the ongoing conflict.

Their criticism focused on the belief that the US involvement through weapon provision exacerbated the war rather than promoting peace.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current member of Putin’s Security Council, also recently warned that the world would become increasingly difficult if more weapons were supplied to Ukraine. 

He emphasized that the provision of highly destructive weapons heightened the likelihood of a scenario commonly referred to as a “nuclear apocalypse,” as reported by the Russian state-run news agency TASS.

Iskander-M
File Image: Iskander-M

Recapturing Alaska? 

During the 1600s, Russian explorers embarked on a great eastern expansion and “discovered” Alaska. Russian settlers, primarily fur traders, established a presence in Alaska and even ventured south to Fort Ross, California. 

However, in 1867, the Russian government decided to sell Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. Initially ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly,” the purchase turned out to be an incredibly advantageous transaction for the US.

Following the sale, Russian influence on the West Coast diminished, gradually retreating to the Bering Strait. Finally, on January 3, 1959, Alaska achieved statehood, becoming the 49th state to join the Union.

While it is true that Russia has not actively pursued the reclamation of Alaska since its sale to the United States, and President Putin himself said in 2014 that he had no intention of doing so, Russian lawmakers and commentators often issue warnings to the United States regarding the reclamation of Alaska. 

Even the latest warning by a Russian lawmaker is also not the first instance since the Russia-Ukraine war began. 

Alaska Treaty of Cessation

Yevgeny Satanovsky, the president of Russia’s Institute of the Middle East, made remarks during a state-run TV appearance in February, evoking the Congress of Vienna agreements of 1814-1815.

He suggested that just as Poland and Finland were recognized as belonging to the Russian Empire during that time, Moscow should reclaim Alaska based on historical precedents.

In July, Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma, responded to US sanctions against Russia by asserting that if US lawmakers attempted to seize Russian assets abroad, they should be aware that Russia also had claims to make in return. 

However, Russian lawmakers and TV commentators have not limited their warnings and criticisms solely to the United States. 

For instance, in March, Andrey Gurulyov suggested that Russia should “wipe [Britain] off the face of the earth,” referring to them as the “main instigator” and a key ally of Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Nonetheless, such warnings reflect the heightened tensions and geopolitical dynamics surrounding the situation in Ukraine.

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