a female connected an airstripU.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks pinch reporters astatine nan Juneau International Airport connected Wednesday Aug. 16, 2023. (Mikko Wilson/KTOO)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has a mentation astir why Russian President Vladimir Putin has been conducting associated subject exercises successful nan Arctic pinch China. 

“He wants nan world to spot that he tin prosecute his forbidden and heinous warfare against Ukraine and astatine nan aforesaid clip show subject spot successful nan Arctic and successful different parts of nan world,” she said.

Murkowski said aft attending a unafraid briefing astatine nan Senate Tuesday pinch nan caput of nan U.S. Northern Command. 

The exercises person been ongoing since Sept. 10, boosting nan number of Russian craft and ships that person travel adjacent to Alaska.

Putin is strengthening his alliances pinch China, North Korea and Iran arsenic a powerfulness move, to antagonistic nan West, Murkowski said, adding that it’s nan associated quality of nan Arctic workout that’s unusual.

“We get that Russia, arsenic our neighbour successful nan Arctic, is expected to beryllium up there, but not needfully pinch China holding their hand,” she said. “And that’s what we’re seeing. That’s wherever nan interest is.”

The U.S. needs to show nan spot of its ain alliances pinch associated subject exercises and to instrumentality by its friends truthful that Ukraine prevails against Russia, she said.

The U.S. deployed much than 100 soldiers to Shemya Island, successful nan Aleutians, precocious past week, and sent a rocket strategy known arsenic HIMARS that shoots ballistic missiles.

Sen. Dan Sullivan’s agency declined an question and reply request. He issued a connection saying nan escalating number of incidents shows nan request for a larger and much imperishable subject beingness successful Alaska.