When Alaska was sold to the United States, both Russia and the United States allowed the Russian people living in Alaska to freely choose whether to stay or leave. Those who did not want to remain in Alaska were provided with free ships to return to the Far East. In the end, some chose to stay in Alaska, while others chose to return to the Far East.

Today, Alaska is the largest state in the United States, with 1.5 billion tons of oil and 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas buried underground, and gold and silver mines hidden in the mountains. The fishing industry alone can bring in an annual revenue of 5 billion dollars.
It is stuck in the throat of the Pacific, a stronghold in the competition for the Arctic route, a battleground during World War II against Japan, and a radar station monitoring the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
But who would have thought that this "treasure land" was once a "burden" that Russia was eager to get rid of?

Despite the freezing cold here, where even food cannot be grown, the Russians still insisted on staying and established the "Russian America Company," treating this place as a base for the fur trade.
At that time, Alaska was seen by the Russians more as a distant resource collection station, seemingly of little use aside from being able to strip some beaver and fox pelts.
In the mid-19th century, Russia fought the Crimean War in Europe, emptying its treasury and accumulating a massive debt.
What troubled Tsar Alexander II even more was that to the north of Alaska lay the British colony of Canada. If the British were to attack from there, Russia would be unable to defend this land far away.
After a while, the Tsar felt that this place was just a "hot potato"—it costs money to manage, and he was afraid the British would pick it up if he let it go.