Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a curious decree relating to Moscow’s historic real estate holdings that suggests that Putin is looking at “regaining” territory that was once under Russian control or part of the old Russian empire.
The decree, signed late last week, “allocates funds for the search, registration, and legal protection of Russian property abroad, including property in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union,” according
The former Russian territory includes Alaska, parts of eastern and central Europe, large swaths of central Asia, and parts of Scandinavia.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Property Management Enterprise are tasked with carrying out the work and are ordered to “find, register, and protect ‘property’ in question” according to Newsweek.
“The Kremlin may use the ‘protection’ of its claimed property in countries outside of its internationally recognized borders to forward soft power mechanisms in post-Soviet and neighboring states ultimately aimed at internal destabilization.”
The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for the sum of $7.2 million. “Seward’s Folly” is what they called it, naming it for Secretary of State William Seward, who was instrumental in the purchase. The Czarist empire was eager to unload what they believed to be 586,412 square miles of empty, worthless wilderness.
They were wrong.
The U.S. State Department, tongue firmly planted in cheek, said Putin can’t have Alaska back.
“Well, I think I can speak for all of us in the U.S. government to say that certainly, he’s not getting it back,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a Monday press briefing, prompting laughter from his audience.
That said, some Russians have been thinking along those lines in recent months.
While Putin appeared to downplay the sale, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov in December hinted at Moscow reclaiming its previous territories in the future.
“Did you want a new world order? Receive and sign. Venezuela annexed a 24th state, Guyana-Essequibo. This is happening right under the nose of the once great hegemon of the United States. All that remains is for Mexico to return Texas and the rest. It’s time for Americans to think about their future. And also about Alaska,” Mironov wrote on X, formerly Twitter, last month.
Former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made a macabre joke out of it.
According to a State Department representative, Russia is not getting back Alaska, which was sold to the U.S. in the 19th century.
This is it, then. And we’ve been waiting for it to be returned any day. Now war is unavoidable 😂
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) January 22, 2024
Putin was trying to appease his radical revanchist base that shares his vision for a reconstituted Soviet Empire. Alaska may be out of his reach, but I’m sure Poland and much of Eastern Europe that was at one time under Soviet control aren’t laughing.