Russians claim asylum in Alaska after fleeing military conscription for Ukraine war
Two men reached remote US state by boat to avoid compulsory military service
Demonstrators against Russia's partial mobilisation during the war in Ukraine come face to face with a riot policeman in Saint Petersburg. AFP
A woman protester is detained during a demonstration in Moscow. AFP
A protester is carried away from a demonstration in Moscow by police dressed in riot gear. AFP
Police and protesters confront each other in Saint Petersburg. AFP
Police officers detain demonstrators in Saint Petersburg. AFP
A demonstrator struggles with police in an attempt to prevent a fellow protester from being arrested. AP
Riot police detain a demonstrator in Moscow, Russia. AP
Russian law enforcement officers detain a person during an unsanctioned rally after opposition activists called for street protests against the mobilisation. Reuters
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest. AP
Demonstrators are detained during a protest against the mobilisation in Moscow. AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists, effective immediately. AP
Mr Putin's announcement follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine. AP
Russian police officers detain a participant during an unsanctioned rally. Reuters
Russian police officers detain a protester. Reuters
The protests followed the announcement of the mobilisation of reservists. AP
Russian police officers detain a person during an unsanctioned rally. Reuters
About 300,000 reservists will be mobilised. Reuters
Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for mass demonstrations against the mobilisation. AFP
The announcement led to flights out of Russia quickly selling out. AFP
Russians said some people were already receiving call-up notices and police were barring men from leaving one city in the south. Reuters
Mr Putin’s decree authorising the partial mobilisation, which took effect immediately, offered few details, raising suspicions that the draft could be broadened at any moment. AP
Reuters
Two Russians fleeing military service in Ukraine have claimed asylum in the US after crossing the Bering Sea to reach a remote island in Alaska, authorities said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last month announced a partial military mobilisation for the war in Ukraine. Western officials say about 250,000 men have already fled abroad to escape conscription.
The office of Lisa Murkowski, a senator representing Alaska, said on Thursday that the Russian men claimed to be seeking asylum to avoid compulsory military service. They were found on St Lawrence Island, about 60 kilometres from the Russian coast.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine that started on February 24 has begun to unravel after a Ukrainian counter-offensive regained thousands of square kilometres in the past month.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said the two men had come over from Russia in a boat and were being questioned.
“We don't anticipate a continual stream of individuals or a flotilla of individuals. We have no indication that's going to happen, so this may be a one-off,” Mr Dunleavy said in a statement.
The Russian embassy in Washington is aware of the case and plans to have a phone conversation with the two citizens soon, a spokeswoman at the mission was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.
Dan Sullivan, a senator who also 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”.
The 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 representative said.
Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters
Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP
People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA
A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters
A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images
People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters
Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters
Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters
Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters
A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP
Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA
A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP
Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA
Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP
An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP
A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP
A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP
Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP
Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP
Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP
Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images
Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images
Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images
A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images
In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP
Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP
Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP
Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP
Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP
A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP
This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP