Are, alas, adrift in marine waters of USSR (4,3)

I believe the answer is:

aral sea

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'marine waters of ussr' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'are alas adrift' is the wordplay.
'adrift' indicates anagramming the letters.
'are'+'alas'='arealas'
'arealas' is an anagram of 'ARAL SEA'.

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aral sea that I've seen before include "Saltwater lake" , "Large lake now largely desert" , "Shrunken lake" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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