Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently called for Alaska’s return to Russia during a recent Russian-state media program.

Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Alaska once belonged to Russia. In 1867, it was sold to the United States after then-President Andrew Johnson signed the Alaska Treaty. It gained the status of a state on January 3, 1959. Alaska and Russia are positioned about 53 miles apart at their closest point.

Tensions around Russia and Alaska intensified in January 2024 when reports surfaced that Putin was looking into reobtaining Alaska, reviving an effort pushed by Russian media throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine that Moscow could seize the state.

Tensions remain high between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia amid the Russian-Ukraine war as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger. This comes after Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its Western partners since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Last month, Putin upped Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric after the U.S. allowed Kyiv to use longer-range ATACMS to strike inside Russia, formalizing changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine that lowers the threshold for atomic weapons use.

Along with the nuclear threat, NATO members such as Germany and the Baltic states have accused Moscow of hybrid attacks and said after the Ukraine war, Moscow could then make a move on countries in the alliance.

What To Know

During the recent program, Solovyov said Finland, Warsaw, the Baltics, Moldova, and Alaska should be “returned to the Russian Empire.”

“Do you think I’m joking when I mention Finland, Warsaw, the Baltics, Moldova? Everything returned to the Russian Empire. And Alaska too, while you’re at it,” Solovyov said in a translated video.

The clip was posted on Saturday by Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“According to propagandist Solovyov, Finland, Warsaw, the Baltics, Moldova, and even Alaska should be ‘returned to the Russian Empire.’ They won’t stop at Ukraine. The Russian imperialists are insatiable,” Gerashchenko wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Four Russian military aircraft entered international airspace close to Alaska on December 17, the U.S. and Canada’s joint command said.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that it detected and tracked the aircraft operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

The Russian planes did not enter sovereign U.S. or Canadian territory, and the incident was not perceived as a threat. However, such encounters are not uncommon, and NORAD announced that a number of Russian aircraft entered the Alaska ADIZ in September.

Four aircraft were spotted on September 23; two Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft were tracked on September 14 and 15; two Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft were seen on September 13; and two unspecified Russian aircraft were identified on September 11.

What People Are Saying

State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a press briefing about Putin’s January comments: “I think I can speak for all of us in the U.S. government to say that certainly he’s not getting [Alaska] back.”

Deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev joked about Alaska in January on X, teasing that “war is unavoidable,” since the State Department said Russia was not getting Alaska back. He added a laughing emoji to the post.

Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, previously told Newsweek: “Continued Russian approaches toward U.S. airspace are a reminder that while the bulk of Russia’s land forces are tied down in Ukraine, its air and naval forces continue to pose a global threat to its adversaries including the United States.

“It’s another indicator that Russia is readying itself for confrontation with the West beyond Ukraine, and any break in the fighting there – for instance through a ceasefire – will allow Russia to reconstitute its forces even faster without Ukraine destroying them almost as fast as they are rebuilt.”

What Happens Next

Although it remains unclear if Russia will make moves against Alaska. As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, tensions between Moscow and NATO are likely to increase, especially if the alliance’s European members bear more of the brunt of support for Ukraine.

The U.S. and other Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against Russia.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Her full name is Spring Wind’s Dressed to Impress at Bell Creek, but owner Patti Engleman calls her agility dog the name of her favorite supermodel, Tyra Banks.

The 7-year-old canine isn’t known so much for her good looks but rather for her speed. She’s a Xoloitzcuintli, a Mexican breed that is usually born hairless, but this one is a Xolo with a sleek, glossy coat.

“They are actually one of the oldest breeds in the world, if not the oldest. There’s debate on that,” Engleman said, adding that Xolos were favorites of the Aztecs.

“So you guys used to be sacrificed on special occasions,” she said looking at Tyra. “That’s why they say she’s so fast — it’s survival of the fittest.”

And Tyra is fast. For the last four years, she’s been the number one Xolo for agility in the country, according to the American Kennel Club.

In mid-December, she earned another title. Engleman was invited to bring Tyra to the AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando, Florida. She finished the course in 29.597 seconds, winning the 12-inch height division, something Engleman said was a first for her breed.

The win was made more special, Engleman said, because Tyra has a condition known as Cushing’s Disease, which could end her career at any time.

Engleman said making it to invitationals was on her bucket list for Tyra.

“Invitationals was one thing I really wanted to accomplish with her in her lifetime … and we made finals, and we won,” Engleman said. “I didn’t expect to win, it was beyond what my goal was for her, because honestly, she’s incredible. I know I’m really lucky to have this dog.”

Engleman said Tyra can lead a full life with treatment, but as long as her agility days are uncertain, she isn’t taking their time as competitors for granted.

“It’s okay, we are going to manage it, and we are going to keep having fun but that’s part of the reason I’m trying to enjoy as much time as I can with her,” she said.

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If you are going to contact the police and rat on someone for expressing their interest in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to you, maybe it is not the best idea to have the same material on your own devices. Or to further consent to a search so law enforcement can gather more information. But that is allegedly what one Alaska man did. It landed him in police custody.

404 Media reported earlier this week on the man, Anthaney O’Connor, who ended up getting himself arrested after a police search of his devices allegedly revealed AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

From 404:

According to newly filed charging documents, Anthaney O’Connor, reached out to law enforcement in August to alert them to an unidentified airman who shared child sexual abuse (CSAM) material with O’Connor. While investigating the crime, and with O’Connor’s consent, federal authorities searched his phone for additional information. A review of the electronics revealed that O’Connor allegedly offered to make virtual reality CSAM for the airman, according to the criminal complaint.

According to police, the unidentified airman shared with O’Connor an image he took of a child in a grocery store, and the two discussed how they could superimpose the minor into an explicit virtual reality world.

Law enforcement claims to have found at least six explicit, AI-generated CSAM images on O’Connor’s devices, which he said had been intentionally downloaded, along with several “real” ones that had been unintentionally mixed in. Through a search of O’Connor’s home, law enforcement uncovered a computer along with multiple hard drives hidden in a vent of the home; a review of the computer allegedly revealed a 41-second video of child rape.

In an interview with authorities, O’Connor said he regularly reported CSAM to internet service providers “but still was sexually gratified from the images and videos.” It is unclear why he decided to report the airman to law enforcement. Maybe he had a guilty conscience or maybe he truly believed his AI CSAM didn’t break the law.

AI image generators are typically trained using real photos; meaning pictures of children “generated” by AI are fundamentally based on real images. There is no way to separate the two. AI-based CSAM is not a victimless crime in that sense.

The first such arrest of someone for possessing AI-generated CSAM occurred just back in May when the FBI arrested a man for using Stable Diffusion to create “thousands of realistic images of prepubescent minors.”

Proponents of AI will say that it has always been possible to create explicit images of minors using Photoshop, but AI tools make it exponentially easier for anyone to do it. A recent report found that one in six Congresswomen have been targeted by AI-generated deepfake porn. Many products have guardrails to prevent the worst uses, similar to the way that printers do not allow photocopying of currency. Implementing hurdles at least prevents some of this behavior.