MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. A US citizen, who traveled to Russia’s Far Eastern Chukotka region by a rubber boat, has been detained by border guards for illegally crossing the frontier, a source told TASS.

The incident, which occurred on August 1, was reported on Friday. Some media reports earlier claimed that the US citizen had allegedly requested political asylum in Russia.

"He (US citizen) was picked in a boat, he was exhausted and was sent first to the Lavrentiya (village) and then to Anadyr. Now he has been questioned, he didn’t ask for political asylum," the source said.

The man was discovered near the former Nunyamo village, close to the Lorino village. The border guards brought him to the shore and put him in custody.

The US Consulate General in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok will provide consular assistance to the US citizen, the press service said. "We know about this situation. We are working with local authorities and are providing the US citizen with consular services," a spokesperson for the diplomatic mission said.