Compared to the european powers, alaska was very close to Russia. How did they not ever discover it
How did they not ever discover it
They did. Of the European powers, counting Russia as "European", they were the first to discover Alaska. The "official" Russian discovery of Alaska is usually credited to Bering (Vitus Jonassen Bering AKA Ivan Ivanovich Bering, Danish but working for Russia) in 1741, but Mikhail Gvozdev had mapped part of the Alaskan coast in 1732.
Note that Siberia was not always Russian. The Russian expansion into Siberia was rapid, but really only began in the late 16th century. By the mid-17th century, they had reached the Pacific coast, and were poised to discover Alaska with further exploration over the ocean. However, by this time, the New World had already been reached. Thus, the Russians were able to discover Alaska, but that was only a part of the already-discovered New World.
Two convenient maps showing dates for the Russian expansion of Siberia, or Russian conquest of Siberia if you prefer:
Compared to the european powers, alaska was very close to Russia.
It's close now, but when the New World was discovered, Alaska was a long way from Russia - Siberia was between it and Russia.
