A member of the Russian parliament has called for Alaska to be returned to the country from the US in a bizarre political twist.
Facing massive sanctions from around the world, designed to grind down the Russian economy as Vladimir Putin wages his devastating war in Ukraine, the Duma member Oleg Matveychev called on Alaska to be returned as reparations for the sanctions.
Matveychev said: "We should be thinking about reparations from the damage that was caused by the sanctions and the war itself because that too costs money and we should get it back."
Alaska belonging to the US means that the border between two of the world's major powers is close, and any tensions between the two over the territory would be alarming.
There is currently no indication Russia wants the return of Alaska, except for Matveychev's comments.
Do Russia and Alaska touch?
Russia and Alaska do not touch, but the two countries are still extremely close to each other.
The two countries' mainlands are only around 51 miles apart at their closest points, and two islands located in the stretch of water between Alaska and Russia's Chukotka region are only a few miles apart.
Located in the Bering Strait, the Diomede Islands are separated by just 2.7 miles, according to Geography Real.
The larger island known as Big Diomede is the easternmost point in Russia, with the smaller island known as Little Diomede belonging to the US.
The islands are known as the two islands 'separated by miles but by 21 hours', as each island is on either side of the International Date Line.
Why does Russia want Alaska back?
Russia is not pursuing a serious policy of demanding the return of Alaska, despite the comments of the Duma member.
Sanctions are designed to freeze parts of an economy, making it harder for countries to operate economically and weakening their reliance on businesses and large assets. A raft of sanctions from countries around the world were imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and they continue to get more and more severe.
Yesterday, March 15, the UK issued 370 more sanctions and imposed hefty new tariffs on Russian imports.
Unsurprisingly, the Russian regime considers the sanctions to be unfair.
It is likely that Russia does regret the sale of Alaska in 1867, sold for just over the equivalent of £100 million in today's money. Alaska has an abundance of natural resources, including oil, which is particularly important.
Matveychev also demanded "the return of all Russian property, that of the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and today's Russia, which has been seized in the United States, and so on".
Applying the same logic, Matveychev was also asked about a part of California that may be a disputed territory.
He continued: "That was my next point. In addition to Antarctica... We discovered it, so it belongs to us."
The claims, not deemed credible or serious, arise from a former Russian settlement in Fort Ross, California. Fort Ross was sold to private owners in 1841.
