50-year-old Russian 'Cold War' message in a bottle washes up on shore

A 50-year-old letter in a bottle from a Russian sailor has been found on the shores of western Alaska.

Tyler Ivanoff found the handwritten Russian letter while gathering firewood near Shishmaref about 966 kilometres northwest of Anchorage, television station KTUU reported.

Ivanoff shared his discovery on Facebook where Russian speakers translated the message to be a greeting from a Cold War Russian sailor dated June 20, 1969.

Photo showing 50-year-old message in a bottle written by Russian sailor and found in Alaska.
The bottle looked in pristine condition and the letter was barely wrinkled. Source: Facebook/Tyler Ivanoff
Alaskan man Tyler Ivanoff found message in bottle from Russian sailor while looking for firewood on August 5.
Tyler Ivanoff found the treasure while collecting firewood on August 5. Source: Facebook/Tyler Ivanoff

The message included an address and a request for a response from the person who finds it.

Reporters from Russian network, Russia-1, tracked down the original writer, Captain Anatoli Prokofievich Botsanenko, who was sceptical that it was his note until he saw his signature on the bottom.

The message was sent while the then 36-year-old was aboard the Sulak, Botsanenko said.

Botsanenko shed tears when the Russian television reporter told him the Sulak was sold for scrap in the 1990s.

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