Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands for First Time
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, Aug. 13, drawing fresh attention to the long-running territorial dispute with Japan as relations between Moscow and Tokyo remain deeply strained over Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Putin traveled to Iturup, one of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan, after overseeing Russian Pacific Fleet exercises in the Far East, Russian state media reported.
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TASS described the trip as Putin’s first personal visit to the Kuril chain. On Iturup, he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant and sampled locally produced fish roe, according to Russian television footage.
The visit came a day after Putin inspected the Pacific Fleet’s flagship missile cruiser Varyag during military drills in Russia’s Sakhalin region. During the exercise, Putin also rejected Japan’s territorial claims over the islands.
Decades-old dispute sharpened by Russia’s war
The four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain have been controlled by Moscow since Soviet forces seized them at the end of World War II. Japan claims the islands – which it calls the Northern Territories – as sovereign Japanese territory.
The dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a formal peace treaty formally settling their World War II relationship.
Relations deteriorated sharply following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow, prompting Russia to withdraw from peace treaty negotiations and freeze joint economic projects involving the disputed islands.
Moscow has since hardened its position. In February, the Kremlin said no peace dialogue with Japan was taking place and described bilateral relations as having been reduced to virtually nothing because of what it called Tokyo’s “unfriendly” policies.
Japan, meanwhile, has remained a strong supporter of Ukraine and has participated in G7 measures aimed at restricting Russia’s access to finance and technology.