Is not Alaska becoming a home to White Russian emigres a topic of several threads over the years? It's possible and by "a lot" it could hundreds of thousands or even millions considering how many were killed in the Russian Civil War and how many White (Russians) there were. Sitka might become one of the major cites in North America if that happens.
And if OTL Russian Revolution still happens and Alaska was still Russia there is no chance the British/Canadians or the US is going to let the Soviets take it (Canada might just annex it in that case or make it a protectorate).
Alternately, it could be a deal where the Romanovs are banished to Alaska and it’s spun off to become its own nation during the February Revolution.