Did Russia really sell Alaska or did they lease/rent out it
I have found some sources telling both, some are saying that it was sold, others that it's just leased
If it's leased, why didn't russia get it back?
The concept that it's just a lease appears to have originated as a plot element in the novel A Matter of Honour by Jefffrey Archer.
This theory has no basis in reality and the Alaska purchase of 1867 was just that - a purchase.