Trump and Putin Set to Convene in Alaska, Formerly Russian Territory

Russian Influence in Alaska: A Historical Overview

Russian influence in Alaska dates back to the early 18th century, marking a significant cultural and historical chapter in the state's history. The Russian-American Company, established in 1799, played a pivotal role in this period.

The company was set up to exploit the lucrative fur trade, particularly focusing on sea otter pelts. This trade led to interactions—sometimes violent—with Alaska Native peoples such as the Aleuts and Tlingits. The Russian-American Company also acted as an imperialist vehicle, aiming at Russification, including spreading Orthodox Christianity through missionaries who arrived around 1794.

The capital of Russian America was established at New Archangel (modern Sitka) following conflict and subsequent peace agreements with Native groups in the early 1800s. Culturally, the Russian period left a lasting legacy, notably through the introduction of Orthodox Christianity, some architectural influences, and place names.

However, the Russian colonial period also caused significant disruption and population decline, especially due to disease exposure and conflicts. The Russian language receded post-1867, with limited preservation primarily in religious contexts. The indigenous languages, however, continue to be endangered despite some preservation efforts.

The Alaska Purchase, which took place in 1867, ended formal Russian governance. The sale was motivated by Russia’s financial burdens, difficulties in supplying the territory, competition with Britain, and a strategic interest in concentrating on Asian expansion. Alaska later became a U.S. state in 1959.

Despite the formal end of Russian governance, Russian influence still persists in parts of Alaska, particularly along the northwest edge of the North American continent. More than 35 churches with distinctive onion-shaped domes dot the Alaskan coast, according to an organization dedicated to preserving the buildings.

The local dialect derived from Russian mixed with Indigenous languages has essentially vanished in most communities, except near Anchorage. However, Alaska's Orthodox diocese claims to be the oldest in North America and even maintains a seminary on Kodiak island. Russian is still being taught in a small rural school on the southern Kenai peninsula, serving around a hundred students.

The school is part of an Orthodox community known as the "Old Believers", which set up in the 1960s. In recent years, the influence of Russia has resurfaced in Alaska, with the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war scheduled to take place in Alaska on Friday.

In October 2022, two Russians landed on the remote St Lawrence island to seek asylum, fleeing just weeks after Putin ordered an unpopular mobilization of citizens to boost his invasion of Ukraine. The US military regularly intercepts Russian aircraft that venture too close to American airspace in the region.

Putin himself stated in 2014 that Alaska is "too cold" and ostensibly Russia is not interested in reclaiming the territory it once held. However, the proximity of the two nations means that the Bering Strait, which separates Asia and the Americas, remains a strategic interest for both countries. While it's not possible to see Russia from the Alaskan mainland, two islands facing each other in the Bering Strait are separated by just four kilometers.

References: 1. Alaska: A History of the 49th State 2. Russian America: A History of the Russian Far East 3. The Aleutians: An Ethnohistory 4. The Tlingit People 5. The Alaska Purchase