We Americans always laughed - but those Sovs were serious!
Did you ever mention to them that their Siberia is at least as rich in mineral resources as Alaska? The only development of Siberian riches came from Stalin's convict gold-mining camps such as the infamous Kolyma, and those essentially slave-labor camps have been almost completely shut down since the late 1950s.
The Russians can't develop their own Siberia, and they aren't handicapped at all by any environmental concerns. What do they want with Alaska?
Some truth to the fact that Russia sold the trading rights / economic rights to alaska for a period of a 100 years; why the feds wanted statehood so badly in 50’s. Most Alaskans at the time were against statehood, they wanted to remain like Peurto Rico because they knew there wasn’t a strong economy that would produce enough taxes to fund state govt. Feds shipped in 30-40 thousand military people, quickly changed voting law and thru election. That’s how my 95 year old neighbor who homesteaded his place in 1942 and is a super conservative repub; tells it. Also remember during civil war, the czar sent western russian fleet into san fran harbor for a few years to help ole Lincoln out. More to everything I do think.
Ya know, none of that really matters anyway, because all Alaskans are becoming more like Americans everyday and Alaska is ethnically a part of america.
We do have lots of russkies here anyway, proximity to Siberia and economic freedom. Most are ok; they want a better life just like we do. I had several russian friends tell me some things are better here some worse. You have more opportunity but also in russia, everyone had 2 week paid vacation at govt cabin on the blk sea; they hadn’t had a vacation since coming to alaska, ha. Also they didn’t like paying 10 gran to have a baby when med care was free for everyone in russia. They use to say Russia not all bad;;; but they weren’t going back either, ha.
“several times they said that we should give them Alaska back, since it is Russian territory.” ............. Not suprising, they wanted the whole world too. Its not like they don’t have more than they need now. I’ll give them about 25 more years and see what they will have left.