A top Russian official warned that Putin could invade Alaska next as retaliation for the United States seizing Russian assets abroad.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, said the United States should remember that Alaska previously belonged to Russia and they can move to reclaim it from the US.
“Let America always remember, there is a part of [Russian] territory: Alaska,” Volodin said during a meeting with Russian officials on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “When they [U.S. lawmakers] attempt to appropriate our assets abroad, they should be aware that we also have something to claim back.”
Alaska was a part of Russian until March 30, 1867, when the U.S. purchased it for $7.2 million.
Tension between the United States and Russia are high amid the U.S. continued support for Ukraine as they fight the invading Russian army. The US and the West have also levied crippling sanctions against Russia in response to Putin’s unprovoked invasion.
The U.S. also back calls for an international tribunal to prosecute war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, according to AP.
Dmitry Medvedev, former prime minister and current deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, lashed out at this suggestion saying the U.S. should examine its own history before looking at Russia.
Medvedev also hinted at the possibility of nuclear war saying: the “idea to punish a country with the largest nuclear potential is absurd and potentially creates the threat to mankind’s existence.”
