A Boat To Alaska: How Two Russians Dodged The Draft

When officers came to mobilize men for Russia's war effort, Maksim Teyunaut refused to open his door. Instead, he and a friend quickly made plans to leave their homes in the Far Northeastern Chukotka region by boat. Risking capture by the coast guard and the dangers of the open sea, they made it to an Alaskan island, where the two men began the process of seeking asylum, later enlisting the help of a Ukrainian-born minister.