Russia, Vladimir Putin signs new decree: “Start in Alaska”

Does Vladimir Putin’s Russia want Alaska back? The Russian president signed a decree allocating funds for the search, registration and protection of Moscow’s properties abroad. The list also includes territories ceded by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The list would therefore also include Alaska, sold to the United States in 1867, territories in Central and Eastern Europe, areas of Scandinavia and sectors of Asia. As highlighted by the North American magazine Newsweek, the decree was signed by the president on January 17th. The provision does not have well-defined contours. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlights that “the precise parameters of what constitutes current or historical Russian ownership are unclear. The Kremlin could use the “protection” of its claimed territories in countries beyond its internationally recognized borders to promote soft power mechanisms in post-Soviet states and neighboring countries to ultimately pursue internal destabilization.” . The decree, as Russia heads towards presidential elections in March, is particularly popular among ultranationalists. Pro-war bloggers, a category that has been in vogue in the last 2 years since the start of the conflict with Ukraine, see the document as a step forward towards new conflicts with “neighbors”, including the United States. «We suggest starting with Alaska», is the contribution that comes from a Telegram channel with more than 530 thousand subscribers. Territories of all latitudes end up in the crosshairs: Ukraine is nothing new, but Bessarabia, the Grand Duchy of Finland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, most of the Baltic countries and a significant part of Poland come into play.

The references to Alaska, ceded to the United States in 1867, are obviously striking. In the past, Putin crossed the issue off the list of issues that deserve attention, although there has never been a lack of calls to reopen the issue in terms of a territorial dispute. According to the ISW, any complaint would be unfounded. The reaction of ultranationalist circles to the signing of the decree, however, is a clear sign of the deeply rooted presence of a revanchist orientation that, inevitably, must be considered as a relevant factor for a country at war. Feeding the myth of a reconquest, even if just with a piece of paper, could facilitate the start of a new mobilization after the presidential elections that will confirm Putin as the country’s leader.