Russian Embassy Says US Refused to Visit Soviet Graves in Alaska | New
A group of Russian diplomats have been prevented from visiting the graves of Soviet soldiers who died in World War II, state media report.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, said a group of Russian diplomats visiting Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, were prevented by US authorities from visiting the graves of Soviet soldiers who died during World War II. World War, according to Russian state media.
“Unfortunately, local US authorities, without explanation, did not allow embassy diplomats to visit Fort Richardson National Cemetery and kneel before the graves of Soviet pilots and sailors who died in Alaska in 1942-1945. “TASS news agency quoted Russian diplomat Nadezhda as saying. Shumova as saying Saturday.
“Attempts to gain access to the memorials through the Department of State were unsuccessful, the diplomatic note from the [Russian] the embassy in this regard was ignored.
A permit is required to access the cemetery on the U.S. Army installation of Fort Richardson, according to the cemetery’s website.
Russian diplomats have visited the cemetery in the past, the embassy wrote on Twitter.
Nine Soviet pilots and two other servicemen are buried at the cemetery, TASS reported.
They died while flying aircraft from the United States to the Soviet Union under the World War II Lend-Lease program. Lend-Lease was an effort, begun before the United States entered the war, to supply the Allies with equipment deemed vital to the defense of the United States.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States have been increasingly tense since Russia launched a invasion of ukraine February 24.
The Kremlin welcomed the results of the US midterm electionswhere neither Democrats nor Republicans emerged as a clear winner, but said the outcome would “change nothing essential”.
“Relations are always and will remain bad,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time.
Washington and Moscow recently engaged in a rare example of cooperation when they negotiated the release of an American basketball player Britney Grinerwho was serving 10 months in a Russian prison, in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The two countries also swapped prisoners in April when Russia freed former US Marine Trevor Reed and the United States freed Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.
