RIA Novosti reports today on an attempt in Russia by an obscure ultraconservative Russian Orthodox religious group-- Pchyolki ("Bees)-- to sue the United States to invalidate Russia's sale of Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. Pchyolki says that the suit was motivated by President Barack Obama's support for legalizing same-sex marriage. Pchyolki says this threatens freedom of religion for Alaska’s Orthodox Christians, who "would never accept sin for normal behavior." The lawsuit cites technical violations of the terms of the 1867 treaty. Art. VI of the treaty called for the U.S. to pay Russia $7.2 million "in gold." The complaint filed in a Moscow arbitrage court says payment was made instead by check.
The suit was originally filed in Moscow in January, and Pchyolki had until this week to file certain additional papers and notify the U.S. government of the lawsuit. It failed to do so, and the court has therefore not processed the lawsuit.
