Soviet leader Vladimir Putin pays tribute to Soviet air force pilots, commemorating them in Alaska.
Vladimir Putin Pays Respects to Soviet Soldiers in Alaska
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the graves of Soviet soldiers in Alaska during his return journey from a summit in Anchorage. The soldiers, who died during World War II while ferrying American aircraft for the allied Soviet Union, are buried at Fort Richardson National Cemetery.
Putin laid red roses at the white stone crosses on the cemetery, expressing gratitude for the well-maintained state of the soldiers' resting place. The visit is a testament to the ongoing recognition of the joint efforts between the US and the USSR during World War II.
The historical significance of Soviet pilots in Alaska during World War II lies primarily in their role in the Alaska-Siberia air route (ALSIB), a critical part of the Allied Lend-Lease Program. Between 1942 and 1945, under this program, the United States supplied the Soviet Union with nearly 8,000 aircraft to fight Nazi Germany. Soviet pilots trained alongside American crews in Fairbanks, Alaska, before ferrying these planes across the Bering Strait to Siberia, from where the aircraft were flown to the Eastern Front against the Nazis.
The gravesite at Fort Richardson remains one of the few places in the United States where foreign World War II combatants are buried on American soil, symbolizing the wartime alliance between the US and the USSR despite later Cold War tensions. Visits by Russian leaders, including Putin, to this cemetery highlight this unique aspect of World War II history.
During the summit, Putin spoke with the Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and gifted two icons to him. Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had a press conference during the summit, but they reportedly discussed the Ukraine war without disclosing any outcomes. After the conference, Trump boarded Air Force One, and Putin followed suit shortly after.
It is worth noting that Alaska was a Russian colony before being sold to the U.S. in 1867. Putin recalled Russia's past in the U.S. state and the joint struggle of the superpowers in World War II during his visit to the cemetery. The brief visit to U.S. soil, which lasted approximately five hours according to Russian media, marked a significant moment in the complex history between the two nations.
The European Parliament has expressed its concern at the political tensions and general news arising from the ongoing situation in the former Soviet Union, as the politics between Russia and the West have been strained over various issues, including the Ukraine war. This visit of Putin to Alaska, where Soviet soldiers are buried, serves as a reminder of the once thriving alliance between the US and the USSR, a relationship that has been largely overshadowed by Cold War tensions and more recent geopolitical disputes.
