Two Russian men are claiming asylum in the United States after beaching their small boat on a remote shoreline in Alaska.
More than 200,000 men have fled Russia since President Vladimir Putin launched a conscription drive that has seen hundreds of thousands forced to join the army to be sent to fight in Ukraine.
Here's what we know of the two men's journey across the Bering Strait.
The day they arrived
The men landed on Alaska's St Lawrence Island on Tuesday.
The island is in between the Russian and American mainlands and is actually closer to Russia than to the US.
The two men beached their boat at a tiny city on the island called Gambell.
Local authorities found them and called the US Coast Guard for assistance.
The Anchorage Daily News reported that they told authorities they "fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service".
According to Alaska's News Source website, the men told locals they had sailed from the town of Egvekinot in north-eastern Russia.
It is not clear how long they were at sea, but it is approximately 480 kilometres from Egvekinot to Gambell.
The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed the two men arrived on Tuesday.
"The individuals were transported to Anchorage for inspection, which includes a screening and vetting process, and then subsequently processed in accordance with applicable US immigration laws," a department spokesperson said.
Do many Russians escape this way?
The route the two men took to enter the US was apparently quite unusual.
The Bering Sea is known to be one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world due to its volatile weather, extremely cold temperatures and strong waves.
Russian asylum seekers looking to enter the US more commonly go through Mexico, which does not require visas. It does however require a plane ticket so not accessible to everyone.
Many have also recently fled to Kazakhstan and Georgia, neither of which require passports or visas for Russians.
According to the ForwardKeys travel data company, ticket sales for flights out of Russia spiked in the immediate aftermath of Mr Putin's draft announcement.
Other popular destinations for fleeing Russians include Turkey, Israel and the UAE, according to Reuters.
Why are Russians fleeing their country?
On September 21, Mr Putin said he would call up 300,000 men to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Since then thousands have fled to neighbouring countries or taken flights out of Russia.
There have been reports of conscripts being given rusty weapons and told they will be sent to the front line without any training.
According to Reuters, over 200,000 people have fled since the announcement, but some countries have refused to take Russian asylum seekers.
The European Union has made it increasingly more difficult to enter by imposing stricter and costlier visa systems.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland quickly closed their borders, and Finland followed soon after.
Lithuania's foreign minister told Al Jazeera that "Lithuania will not be granting asylum to those who are simply running from responsibility".
He said Russian men could protest or even become prisoners of war instead of running away to Europe.
What happens next?
The pair are currently awaiting the results of their asylum claim.
It is not known how long this will take.
Russian state news agency Tass said the Russian embassy in Washington wanted to speak to the men.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's Governor Mike Dunleavy said he did not expect a "flotilla" of other boats to arrive from Russia.
He warned conditions in the area were set to get worse as an autumn storm brought high winds and heavy seas.
Senator Dan Sullivan, who represents Alaska, said Customs and Border Protection officials were assessing the case, which showed that "the Russian people don't want to fight Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine".
Alaskan officials have said stronger security and federal assistance is necessary in case more Russians flee through the Bering Sea.
Despite hundreds and thousands of men fleeing, the Kremlin has not made a decision to close Russia's borders.
