The Real Story of Alaska: A Gift for the New Year or a Sale?

Professor Iosif Goldshtein from Moscow State University has published some documents from the mid-19th century. These documents show that the transfer of Alaska to the USA was a New Year's gift from Tsar Alexander II to President Andrew Johnson.

There is a legend that Alaska was sold to Americans for 7.2 million dollars, but that was made up after the emperor's assassination. Historian Goldshtein believes that the purchase documents and payment checks were forgeries created during Alexander III's reign.

The 'act of unreasonable generosity' was heavily criticized by many, including the historian Klyuchevsky. This gift led to a peasant revolt in the Vyatka province, which was brutally suppressed.

After Alexander II was assassinated by terrorists unhappy with his land giveaways, the government decided to rewrite history. They showed the handover of Alaska as a sale, not as a gift, to cover up the criticism.

The historian says that Russia never received any money for Alaska because all the sale documents were written under the orders of Benkendorf during Alexander III's rule. According to Goldshtein, this is proof that the sale of Alaska was a fabrication.