Russian envoys in US will hold phone call with two Russian citizens who fled to Alaska

BY A STAFF REPORTER: The Russian Embassy in Washington has said its diplomats will hold a "telephone conversation" with two Russian men who fled to Alaska to avoid being drafted into the military. "The embassy is aware of the situation with the detained Russian citizens in the state of Alaska. Today we received a notification about this from the Anchorage branch of the US Customs and Border Guard Service," Nadezhda Shumova, the head of the consular department of the Russian embassy in Washington, said. The two Russians who crossed the Bering Strait, landing in Gambell, Alaska earlier this week said they were seeking asylum to avoid Russia’s draft in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. “The Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service,” said Karina Borger, a spokesperson for Sen. Lisa Murkowski.