Russia to deploy missiles on disputed islands with Japan

Russia will deploy a series of coastal defense missile systems to the Kuril Islands, which Japan also claims, in an effort to increase military activity in the region.

Bal-E coastal defense missile system. Photo: army-news

"The rearmament of troops and military bases on the Kuril Islands is taking place as planned. Also this year, they will receive Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems, as well as new generation drones.Eleron-3," AFP quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying yesterday at a ministry meeting.

Russia has in recent years been investing in military infrastructure on the Kuril Islands, which Japan also considers its territory, including establishing new barracks for soldiers.

Mr Shoigu said the military was focusing on "developing military infrastructure in the Arctic region and the Kuril Islands".

Russia-Japan relations have been strained for decades over the status of the four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan. The Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet will next month embark on a three-month mission to the Kuril Islands to explore the possibility of establishing a naval base on the islands.

This year and next, Russia plans to build more than 350 buildings for military needs on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir, part of the Kuril archipelago, known as theEtorofu and Kunashiri in Japanese.

About 19,000 Russians live on the remote rocky islands, which were occupied by Soviet troops in the final days of World War II. The two countries have never formally signed a peace treaty and lingering tensions over the issue have hampered trade relations for decades.

Location of the Kuril Islands. Graphics: Wikipedia

According to VNE