When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Alaska on Friday, he made a stop at Fort Richardson National Cemetery, where 13 Soviet pilots who died during World War II are buried.
The graves date back to the Lend-Lease Program, under which the United States supplied the Soviet Union with military equipment to fight Nazi Germany. Between 1942 and 1945, nearly 8,000 American aircraft were delivered to the USSR.
To transport the planes, the two countries established the Alaska–Siberia air route (ALSIB). U.S. crews flew the aircraft to Fairbanks, Alaska, where they were handed over to Soviet pilots, who then ferried them across Siberia to the Eastern Front.
Several Soviet airmen died in Alaska during training or ferrying operations, often due to accidents in harsh weather conditions. They were originally buried in locations such as Fairbanks and Nome, but in October 1946, their remains were reinterred together at Fort Richardson in a dedicated section of the national cemetery. Their white headstones, inscribed in both Russian and English, are maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Over the decades, the site has drawn visits from Russian officials. President Putin laid flowers there during his Alaska trip, following a tradition of Russian dignitaries paying respects. In 2022, however, Russian diplomats reported being denied access to the cemetery without prior clearance, underscoring that visits require U.S. military authorization.
According to historical records, the Soviet section at Fort Richardson is one of the only places in the United States where foreign WWII combatants are buried on American soil.
Source: Tovima.com