Two Russians seek asylum after reaching remote Alaskan island

The village of Gambell on St Lawrence Island, Alaska (Alamy/PA)

Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid compulsory military service are believed to have requested asylum in the US after landing on a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Sea.

Karina Borger, a spokesperson for Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, said that her office has been in communication with the US Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and that “the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service”.