A U.S. citizen has reportedly requested political asylum after mistakenly sailing to Russia instead of China.
The unnamed American was detained in an abandoned Far East Russian village after his boat washed ashore some 130 kilometers from Alaska, local media reported Friday.
“The foreigner said he was fishing on the shores of Alaska and wanted to sail from the U.S. to China. But he landed in Russia,” Interfax quoted an unnamed source as saying.
The Alaskan may be suffering from a mental disorder, the source added.
The unnamed asylum seeker has been brought to the regional capital for questioning, two days after his detention, the Prochukotku.ru news website reported.
The U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok told Interfax that it was cooperating with local authorities on the case.
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