The Japanese Foreign Ministry has already reacted to this information, stating that Tokyo "closely monitors the movement Russian troops"And is studying the issue of building a Russian naval base on the Kuril Islands. So why does Russia need a base on the Kuril Islands, the appearance of which will surely provoke the dissatisfaction of the Japanese side, and where will it be located?

To begin with, from a military point of view, the Kuriles should be considered a strategic territory, if only because we still do not have a peace treaty on these borders with our closest neighbor Japan, and the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and the Habomai archipelago of Tokyo are still considers his "northern territories". At the same time, the United States has its military facilities on the territory of Japan itself.

In particular, of great strategic importance for the United States is japanese island Okinawa. In fact, it is a Pentagon outpost in the Pacific Ocean. A whole network of military bases, training grounds and airfields is deployed on it. There is the Kadena US military airbase, which plays an important role for the American presence in Southeast Asia. In addition, approximately 16,000 US Marines are serving at Camp Hansen, Camp Schwab and Camp Zukeran. In total, about 30,000 thousand American troops are stationed in Okinawa - about half of the entire US military contingent in Japan.

Even if it is theoretically assumed that a potential adversary captures the Russian Kuriles, this immediately opens up a direct path for him to the entire territory of Russia from the Pacific Ocean. That is why, during the times of the USSR, the Kurils were reliably protected by large groupings of troops. In particular, a powerful Marine Division was stationed there. But then, with the collapse of the Union, the number of troops in the Kuril Islands began to rapidly decrease. It was expensive to supply troops from the center, the authorities rarely got there for inspections, and numerous reformers preferred to “cut” and “optimize” rather than prove the need to strengthen the Far Eastern grouping. So, in fact, the current decision to create a naval base here is just the restoration of the "status quo" - the previously existing situation.

It is known that today the 18th machine-gun and artillery division of up to three and a half thousand people is based on the Kuriles. She is well equipped with self-propelled artillery, air defense systems, rocket artillery and tanks. An attack from the sea on the island of Kunashir can be repelled by the complexes "Bal", and on the island of Iturup - the complexes "Bastion".

In addition to missile systems, the coastal units are reinforced with the Leer-3 universal highly automated complexes, which include the Orlan-10 control stations and unmanned aerial vehicles, which can be used by different types of troops - from motorized riflemen and tankers to electronic warfare units.

However, according to the military, for the antiamphibious defense of the islands, as well as for a more tangible military presence of Russia in the area, especially given the fact that the Japanese are still claiming them, it is nevertheless necessary to strengthen the naval grouping.

Now parts of the Pacific Fleet there are actually divided into two components - one is based in Vilyuchinsk, the other - in Vladivostok. "An intermediate base is absolutely necessary," says Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis.

It is not yet clear which of the Kuril islands will be the site for the deployment of the new military facility of the Russian fleet. But the military department has been thinking about this task for a long time. Our sailors have repeatedly carried out multi-month expeditionary trips to the Bolshoi Islands Kuril ridge with the aim (Sergei Shoigu himself told about this) to study the possibility of a prospective basing of the Pacific Fleet forces.

In particular, the joint expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian geographic society(by the way, like the military department, it is also headed by Sergei Shoigu) visited the island of Matua, which the Japanese used as a naval and air base during World War II.

Matua is an island in the middle of the Kuril ridge, formed by volcanic activity. By the way, Japan does not apply for it, which is important if we consider the island as a potential location for a Russian naval base. From this point of view, Matua is located very well. There are still three runways from the Japanese. And the participants of the joint expedition were very surprised when they found that, taking into account the wind rose, even the most modern aircraft in virtually all weather conditions.

According to a number of military experts, it is this island that will most likely be considered as the location of the new Russian naval base.

The Russian authorities intend to allocate an additional 16 billion rubles for the development of the Kuril Islands.
This was announced by the Governor Sakhalin region Alexander Khoroshavin after a workshop held in Kurilsk with the participation of members of the Russian government on the implementation of FTP "Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2007-2015".

13 billion rubles of this amount is planned to be allocated from the federal budget, the remaining 3 billion rubles - from the local one. Also, the Sakhalin Region plans to attract funds from private investors for the development of the Kuriles. According to Khoroshavin, they will be interested in the development of such industries as marine biological resources, tourism.

The volume of the federal target program for the development of the Kuriles, which is in effect until 2015, is 15 billion rubles (investments from the federal budget).
The main directions of the program are the development of transport infrastructure, social sphere and energy.

details about the new infrastructure of the Kuril Islands (many photos)

Kurile Islands- includes 30 large and many small islands.
The population resides permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan.
The population of the Kuril Islands - 18 735 people

Kunashir Island- most south island Large ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Population - about 8000 people.
Yuzhno-kurilsk- the administrative center of the South Kuril district.

A Friendship Center was built to receive delegations


Free social housing


House of culture
(medical and educational expedition "Frontiers of Russia", August 2010)

Opening of a new kindergarten
Governor of the Sakhalin Region Alexander Khoroshavin (right)



Port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk

New deepwater pier


The commissioning of modern deep-water berthing complexes in Kunashir and Iturup will bring the transport infrastructure in the Kuril Islands to a qualitatively new level and improve the quality of life on the islands.
The motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" for the first time docked at the new berth
(February 2011)

Airport "Mendeleevo"
The airfield was built by the Japanese when the island of Kunashir was still under Japanese rule and has hardly been rebuilt since then.
In 2006 it was closed due to the complete deterioration of infrastructure and the destruction of the runway.
During the reconstruction, as part of the FTP for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands, a new passenger terminal, taxiways, a new apron, a runway (runway), a landing system and lighting equipment were put into operation.

The island operates Mendeleevskaya Geothermal Power Plant(geothermal power plant), which provides the island with heat and electricity.
The energy of the volcano as a source of heat and light for a person is the principle of operation of this station.
The commissioning of the second stage of the station in 2007 provided 100% of the heat demand of Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
By 2011, it is planned to modernize and introduce additional capacities, as a result of which the total capacity of the facility will almost triple - from 1.8 MW to 5 MW.

Iturup Island- the island of the southern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands, the most large island archipelago.
Population - 6387 people.
Kurilsk

Kitovaya bay


In 2006, a modern fish processing complex "Reidovo" was launched on the island..
Six air freezing chambers provide 74 tons of finished frozen fish products per day.

On about. Iturup also houses the Yasny fish processing plant, equipped with a unique freezing tunnel for air freezing of fish, which allows continuous freezing of 210 tons of finished fish products per day.
There is a caviar shop producing 3 tons of caviar per day. In addition, a salting shop with a capacity of 25 tons per day and a refrigerator with a capacity of 2300 tons of one-time storage.

The buildings of the Kurilskaya Oblast have already been built on the island. high school for 250 students, as well as a modern central district hospital with 50 beds with a polyclinic for 100 visits per shift.
New hospital

Sports complex


improvement of a public garden in the city center



Governor's working trip

The construction of the airport on Iturup continues, which will be equipped with last word technology. New air gate are located on the sunny side of the island, which will allow easy access to Iturup even in bad weather. The extended runway 2.2 km long will accommodate all types of aircraft operating in the region.

Shikotan Island- the largest island of the Small ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Malokurilskoe- the administrative center of the island.
Population - about 2100 people.
Development of berthing infrastructure on Shikotan Island



The fish processing complex "Krabozavodsk" is equipped with the most modern equipment.

The capacity of the workshop allows receiving and processing up to 300 tons of raw fish daily.

New kindergarten for 70 children (2010)

New School (2006)


Fuel supply systems are under construction on all islands - Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan

Paramushir island- one of the islands of the Northern group of the Great ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Population - about 2500 people.
Severo-Kurilsk- the administrative center and the only settlement of the island.
The fishing port and fish processing plant are the main production facilities of Severo-Kurilsk.
In 1952, the city was practically destroyed by a tsunami, but after that it was rebuilt and exists to this day.
Monument to those killed in 1945

Fisherman's Day is one of the main holidays in the Kuril Islands

Transportation of goods and passengers to the islands is carried out by motor ships "Igor Farkhutdinov" and "Marina Tsvetaeva".

Construction plans for 2011
In 2011, a kindergarten for 40 places will be put into operation in the village of Reidovo on about. Iturup, the construction of the berthing complex in Yuzhno-Kurilsk has been completed. The construction of the building of the sea terminal will continue, in a single three-storey complex of the sea terminal with an area of ​​more than 885 sq. m will accommodate all services working with both domestic and international flights.
Also, the object “Construction and reconstruction of fuel supply systems of the island. Shikotan "in the village of Malokurilskoe.
This year will be built: a 6-apartment residential building in the village of Krabozavodskoye on Shikotan, a 10-apartment building and four 8-apartment buildings in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, two 8-apartment buildings on Iturup.
This year will be completed and launched a modular diesel generator power plant on the street. Nagorny in the village of Malokurilskoe.
And within the framework of the regional fire safety program, it is expected to commission a fire station in Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

P.S. Of course, on the Kuril Islands, not everything is as rosy and positive as it looks in these photos. I have only collected new or refurbished objects here. In addition to large, by the standards of the Kuril Islands, settlements, there are also very small settlements, where, nevertheless, people also live.
But since the program for the development of the islands was adopted until 2015 and the positive trend is obvious, there is every reason to believe that in all settlements all 4 inhabited Kuril Islands will have decent living conditions.

Image copyright AFP

Deputy Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council Franz Klintsevich announced the construction of a naval base on the Kuril Islands. This is not the first mention of a military facility on the islands, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about this earlier, but for the first time this project was talked about in the present tense.

"The decision has been made. It is underway," Klintsevich said, without specifying where the military facility would be located.

Perhaps he was referring to the island of Matua - a small piece of land in the center of the Kuril ridge. In 2016, Defense Minister Shoigu said that Russia intends not only to restore, but also to actively exploit this island.

By that time, a large expedition of the Russian Geographical Society and the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) had already visited the island. The second expedition began in the summer of 2017 and continues to this day.

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"Experts have carried out more than 1000 laboratory studies on physical, chemical and biological indicators, made more than 200 measurements of the relief and the environment. Radiation and chemical reconnaissance was also carried out, the fortifications of the island and more than 100 historical objects were examined. Divers carried out work on hydrographic research of the bays. and the bays of the Matua Island, "the RGS website says.

Image copyright Google

The reports of the expeditions say a lot about the study of marine invertebrates and algae, the study of the activity of the Sarychev Peak volcano, but if the Ministry of Defense is really going to build a base on this island, then hydrographic studies of the relief are most likely especially important for it. seabed and the study of the remains of Japanese military installations.

The new base will be capable of accepting any ships, including the first rank, Klintsevich said on Thursday, without specifying which ships will be based at this facility.

The ships of the first rank include aircraft carriers, destroyers, missile and anti-submarine cruisers, and nuclear submarines. For such watercraft with a large draft, you really need to carefully prepare the seabed.

Japan disputes the belonging of some of the Kuril Islands to Russia. They went to the Soviet Union at the very end of World War II, when a Soviet amphibious assault landed on the islands. The ownership of some of the islands was not secured by international treaties.

Japan claims the islands of the Kuril ridge Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the group of small islands Habomai, citing the Shimonoseki treatise of 1855. The island of Matua, about which Shoigu spoke, does not belong to the disputable group - it is located in another part of the ridge, in its central region.

Russia insists that the islands belong to it, citing the inadmissibility of revising the results of the Second World War.

Island as a base

The Kuril Islands are located in a strategically important area: they separate the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, as if locking the outlet to it from south coast of the Russian Far East.

During World War II, a powerful system of fortifications, airfields, and naval bases was built on the islands. One of the facilities was located just on Matua - coastal concrete fortifications, the remains of an airfield, warehouses, and shelters still remain on the island.

Image copyright Google

In Soviet times and until 2001, a border post was located on the island, but in recent years the island has remained uninhabited.

Currently, the 18th machine-gun and artillery division (the only such unit in the Russian army) with reinforcement units on Iturup and Kunashir is stationed on the Kuril Islands. Recently, the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, as well as Buk anti-aircraft systems, were deployed on the islands. The Bastion complex was located on the Iturup Island, and the Bal - on Kunashir.

Matua is not the most comfortable place to live and even to build a military base. Strong winds blow on the island; there are no large comfortable bays on the coast. Finally, all Northern part a small island - a volcano that last time erupted more recently - in 2009.

The island is located at a great distance from the supply bases, and communication with it, especially in the winter months, is difficult due to the fact that the Sea of ​​Okhotsk freezes in this place.

Image copyright NASA

In any case, building a large base on it will be extremely costly.

However, Russia seems ready to go to the expense. On the one hand, the Kremlin has long sought to expand its military presence in the oceans. And the Pacific region, which has attracted more and more attention in recent years, is extremely important for Russia.

For example, one of the two landing helicopter carriers that Russia intended to purchase from France was to be based in the Pacific Fleet.

"When I served on Far East, the issue of placing the Pacific Fleet's ship formation on the Kuril Islands was considered. It is profitable to create a base on the islands for the only reason - direct access to the ocean. Of the places that were identified as suitable for it by geometry, the difficulties were as follows. The first is difficult ice conditions in winter. The second is the ebb and flow of about six meters. The third is strong winds, "Admiral Vladimir Valuev, former commander of the Baltic Fleet, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

During the Soviet era, which had a larger Pacific fleet than Russia today, a large military base was never built on the Kuril Islands.

The second goal of Russia is to gain a foothold in the Kuril Islands themselves. The unresolved issue with the Kuril Islands hinders the development of relations between the two countries, it is raised every time by Moscow and Tokyo and clearly makes both sides very nervous.

What base can Russia afford?

Speaking about the scale of the future facility, Senator Franz Klintsevich said that the new base will be able to receive any ships, including the first rank.

At the same time, Klintsevich used the word "base", that is, he meant a rather large facility, which should include not only berths, but also infrastructure for maintenance of ships, ideally a dock and a shipyard, barracks for accommodating crews and base personnel, air defense units and the airfield.

And all this is on an island with an area of ​​52 square kilometers, a significant part of which is occupied by a volcano.

Vasily Kashin, senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, told the BBC that as a result, only a small logistics center for ships may appear on Matua in Syria, and Russia will invest money in the already existing bases of the Pacific Ocean. fleet.

There are five of them in the Far East - in Vladivostok, Fokino, Vilyuchinsk (nuclear submarines are based there), Sovetskaya Gavan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

"Maybe it will be a harbor, where there will be several piers, again we do not know how many; there will be an icebreaker and a couple of tugs, and some small forces will be constantly deployed," he said.

At the same time, Kashin noted that even if, for example, a large anti-submarine ship (of the first rank) can approach the island, it is still unknown how many such ships can be serviced there at the same time and how much service they can receive there.

At the end of March, it was announced that in the near future, a basing point for ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet could appear on the islands of the Greater Kuril ridge disputed by Japan. Earlier, there were statements about a serious strengthening of the Eastern Military District and garrisons on the disputed islands. "Our Version" figured out why, given the increasing military threat to western borders there is a significant strengthening of the Russian military grouping in the Far East.

According to Sergei Shoigu, already in April, the Navy will conduct a three-month expeditionary campaign to the islands of the Great Kuril ridge, the purpose of which will be to study the possibilities for creating new base Pacific Fleet. According to the Minister of Defense, the islands have an important military-strategic location to ensure the territorial integrity and national security of Russia, which is why the deployment of bases here "will help the country to more effectively solve these problems." Earlier, the Ministry of Defense emphasized that the planned rearmament of the forces stationed in the Kuril Islands is being carried out.

In 2016, it is planned to transfer powerful and modern weapons to the region, including the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, as well as new generation drones.

At the same time, the Russian leadership understands that such activity will complicate relations with Japan. It is no coincidence that the former military man, and now the head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Viktor Ozerov, has already called on Tokyo not to consider the possible basing of Russian warships in the Kuril Islands as a threat. However, noting at the same time that the number of ships of the Pacific Fleet, which can be deployed in the Kuril Islands, will depend on the quality of relations with Japan and other states of the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan today can return the Kuril Islands by force

The dispute between Russia and Japan over the "northern territories", as the South Kurils are called in Japan, has been going on for more than 60 years, and so far no compromise has been reached through the diplomatic route. Therefore, in response to Shoigu's statements in Japan, they immediately stated that the strengthening of the military infrastructure in the disputed territories was of concern to them. The main reason is that the Kuril Islands are of great economic and military-strategic importance for the entire region. And above all for Russia: the deep-water strait that does not freeze in winter between the islands of Kunashir and Iturup is the only way out to the ocean for the Pacific Fleet. That is why the question of returning the islands to Japan, in principle, can hardly be resolved positively.

Today neither side intends to concede, it seems that political methods have been exhausted, but no one believes in the prospect of a fourth war between Japan and Russia. Although, as recent events show, the situation in the world can change dramatically in a matter of weeks. So the military potentials of countries can play an important role in this dispute. And here, unfortunately, a lot is not going in favor of Russia. According to experts, too few forces are concentrated in the east, with parts scattered at great distances from each other. Another problem for the Eastern Military District, which ensures the security of the Kuril ridge, is its remoteness, which does not allow for a short time to build up groupings of troops. Therefore, experts believe that, theoretically, Japan is already capable of waging a lightning war today, having quickly landed on the Kuril Islands, seizing the harbors and anchorages, and cover it all from the sea and from the air. That is why Russia's attention to the military component of the Kuril Islands is so great. Moreover, it arose against the background of the strengthening of the Japanese self-defense forces. So, in mid-July in the Land of the Rising Sun, amendments to the law were adopted that allow the use of the Japanese army to help protect their allies outside the country. The amendments also expanded the ability of Japanese forces to conduct peacekeeping operations overseas.

In addition, in recent years, the Japanese have significantly strengthened their armed forces. Today, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is one of the most powerful in the Asia-Pacific region and is more than twice the size of the Russian Pacific Fleet. In total, the Japanese Navy has more than 250 modern warships and auxiliary vessels and boats, including one light aircraft carrier and four destroyer-helicopter carriers. Most destroyers are equipped with anti-submarine helicopters and anti-ship missile systems with American Harpoon missiles. The landing ships are represented by the Osumi-type pennants, the Miura and Atsumi-class tank landing ships, and the Jura and Yusotei-type small landing ships. With them, the Japanese are capable of transferring up to one brigade of ground forces at a time. There is even a Hyuga-class light aircraft carrier.

In service with 20 diesel submarines: 7 of the "Harusio" type, armed with anti-ship missiles (ASM) "Harpoon". Oyashio submarines are silent, with a 20-knot underwater passage, capable of firing six torpedo tubes (533-mm) with torpedoes or Sub-Harpoon missiles. There are two boats of the "Soryu" type - with an increased diving range.

Alexander Khramchikhin, Head of the Analytical Department of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis:

- The rearmament of the Eastern Military District and the division on the Kuril Islands undoubtedly takes place as part of the planned re-equipment of Russian The armed forces, this has been talked about for a long time. Apparently, within the framework of this, the Kuril group will be re-equipped, perhaps special attention will be paid to it. The reason for this retooling is obvious - these islands are contested by Japan, while they are highly isolated for geographic reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to have a grouping there that is capable of completely autonomously repelling an enemy attack for some time.

The Pacific Fleet is recovering, but slowly

At the same time, the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, battered by the post-Soviet timelessness, is not recovering as rapidly as we would like. Today, about a hundred ships remain of its former power, and a third of them are under repair, reserve or mothballed. At the same time, the Pacific Fleet is divided into two groups, which are based in Kamchatka and in Primorye. The part that remained in Primorye, in fact, turned into a small flotilla of heterogeneous forces, where the main combat power is the missile cruiser Varyag, which has stepped over the 20-year line.

Submarines are deployed in Kamchatka. The 16th submarine squadron is armed with Project 949A Antey submarine cruisers of the same type as Kursk, Schuka-B nuclear torpedo boats (Project 971), Varshavyanka diesel-electric boats and 667BDR strategic boats.

The Kurils are directly protected by the 18th machine-gun and artillery division of 3.5 thousand people. The 46th machine-gun and artillery regiment is located on Kunashir, the 484th machine-gun and artillery regiment - on Iturup. At the same time, the division is extremely poorly connected with the mainland, especially in winter time... This means that the garrison is highly dependent on the weather; delivery of ammunition, food and medicine from the mainland will be difficult. All weapons and equipment of the regiment are outdated, according to various estimates, up to 80% of equipment and weapons require overhaul or should be decommissioned. Only last year there were reports that the division was armed with T-80 tanks, this, of course, is not the most modern weapons, but if you remember that earlier, IS-2, IS-3 and T tanks dug into the ground were used to create strong points -34, then this is a serious progress.

According to some information, last year at disputed islands the coastal anti-ship missile system "Ball", which was adopted by the RF Armed Forces in 2008, was transferred. It is designed to control territorial waters and strait zones, protect naval bases, other coastal facilities and coastal infrastructure. It is also reported that in this moment on the Kuril Islands there is a modern air defense system - the "Tor" and "Buk" complexes are on constant combat duty. Statements have been heard repeatedly that the Defense Ministry is considering the option of deploying modern S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems on the Kuril Islands, but so far this is in the plans.

However, it looks like they will now be accelerated. Recently, it was announced about the creation of a modern infrastructure. The construction of military camps and the rearmament of the units based there have begun in the Kuril Islands - by the end of 2016, 392 facilities for various purposes will be built on Iturup and Kunashir. Thus, the Ministry of Defense is preparing to seriously strengthen the "eastern front" of the country, on which, in the event of an armed conflict, there may be much more problems than on the western one.

The Russian Armed Forces, realizing the strategic importance of the Kuril Islands, by the end of last year completed the modernization of military facilities at two of them - Kunashir and Iturup, and this year they plan to create modern military bases on two more - Matua Island in their central part, and in the north - Paramushir island.

In the face of a serious deterioration in Russian-American relations to protect the Sea of ​​Okhotsk as a stronghold of the nuclear confrontation with the United States, military construction in the Kuril Islands is of paramount importance. Russian President Vladimir Putin also takes into account the conditions for the return of the "northern territories" in the context of ensuring the country's national security, which, in turn, raises barriers to solving the territorial problem.

Reconstruction work at military bases in Kunashir and Iturup

According to the press organ of the Russian Pacific Fleet, in November 2016, a modern ground-to-surface missile system Bastion with a flight range of 300 kilometers was deployed on Iturup, and a new ground-to-surface missile system Ball was deployed on Kunashir Island. ", With a range of 130 kilometers.

According to experts, both missile systems are effective in destroying large surface targets, such as, for example, aircraft carriers of the US Navy. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, weapons were renewed in the "northern territories".

There is no doubt that this new deployment of weapons a month before the official visit of Vladimir Putin to Japan became an element of influence on our country, but it could also be a way of pressure from the Russian military on its president so that he would not make territorial concessions.

Both in Kunashir, where all resources are already fully utilized, and in Iturup, where military facilities have already been restored, last year everything has already taken a finished form. As Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced in December 2015, it was not only about the restoration of the military base on Kunashir and other islands, but also about the parallel construction of a total of 392 infrastructure facilities, including schools, leisure centers, shops and others.

The Russian military garrison on Iturup is located about two villages - Hot key and Gorlovka on the Pacific coast. After the reduction of its number, which followed the collapse of the USSR and the earthquake of 1994, the equipment became obsolete, some of it depreciated.

The military opposes the transfer of land to the population

Defense Minister Shoigu said in February 2017: “The Russian army will complete the deployment of three new divisions on the western and southern borders, as well as in the eastern part of the country in 2017. We are actively working to protect the Kuriles. We will also place one division here. " This means that another new division was to appear on the Kuril Islands within a year.

Context

In the Kuril Islands - one owner

Bastion vs. Aegis Ashore

Japan will invite Putin to discuss the Kuril Islands?

Putin did not forget to muddy the waters

Kuril Islands: purchase by installments

And although the troops on Iturup constitute the size of the division, in general the brigade becomes the unit of the number of troops. The details are not yet clear, for example, the "one division" mentioned by the Minister of Defense - will it be completely new, or is it about reforming an existing division. But given the difficulties of recruiting, it is unlikely that we are talking about another completely new division. In any case, there is no information yet that another new division has appeared on the Kuril Islands.

Last year, as one of the measures for the development of the underpopulated Far East, the Russian government adopted a "Far Eastern hectare" program for the lease of empty land here to anyone, but, as far as I know, this plan has been suspended on the Kuril Islands. Renting land in mountainous terrain is hardly realistic, and the Defense Department also opposes this, believing that private ownership of land is undesirable to protect military secrets.

Military bases in the center and in the north of the Kuril Islands

On the other hand, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on November 29 that, according to information received from sources of the General Staff, for the further deployment of surface-to-surface missiles, the construction of military bases on the islands of Matua and Paramushir is beginning. The deployment of the Bal and Bastion missile systems, similar to those already on Kunashir and Iturup, is scheduled for the two said islands since 2018.

The newspaper also reported that specialists from the Ministry of Defense have already visited the two islands in order to determine a specific location for the construction of military bases and the deployment of missiles. The deployment of modern missile systems in this area will not only enhance the defense potential in the middle and northern part of the Kuriles, but will also assist Kamchatka, where the base of strategic nuclear submarines is located.

During World War II, Matua and Paramushir played an important role in the battles of the imperial Japanese army with the United States; there was a large garrison, strongholds, and military ports. Apparently, Russia plans to restore these fortifications and use them as the basis for modern naval and air bases.

Military expert Alexander Mostovoy told Izvestia that "the Kuril military bases not only strengthen the defense potential of the islands themselves, but also prevent the direct penetration of US aircraft carriers into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and Primorye." “The old Japanese imperial army was well aware of the strategic importance of the Kuriles and during the Second World War had bases and airfields on the islands of Matua and Paramushira. Some of them were also used by the USSR after the war, and if the international situation deteriorates now, it is planned to actively use them, ”the expert noted.

However, in winter time on the islands blow strong winds, the sea freezes around them. High tides lead to abrupt changes in depth, which makes it difficult to supply resources and food to the coast. Although up to two thousand people lived on Paramushir, on uninhabited Matua is active volcano, which has erupted more than once in the past. As Mostovoy noted in his interview, “military construction in remote big land the islands is an extremely difficult endeavor. Large expenditures are also required. Only border guards are needed here. "

Creation of a new Arctic brigade

Recently, the Russian military has been actively preparing to build up its presence in such remote areas as the Far East and the Arctic. For the Arctic, a special Arctic brigade is being created in the amount of two thousand people. In 2017, the first 150 people of its strength are already deployed on Alexandra Island, which is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

Today it is the largest detachment of builders working north of the 80th parallel. In conditions where, due to global warming, the area arctic ice is shrinking, Russia is thinking about military construction to ensure its own national interests in the area, a storehouse of natural resources.

In addition to this, the Russian military wants to locate a new naval base for the Pacific Fleet on the Chukchi Peninsula, opposite American Alaska.

A series of such actions suggests geopolitical ambitions to increase armaments in the Kuril Islands - Chukotka - Arctic Circle arc.

Today Russia is waging "two wars" in Ukraine and Syria, strengthening its position from Baltic Sea opposing NATO's containment policy towards Russia. In the south, which is also troubled for Russia, it is dealing with China, expanding its military capabilities, North Korea continuing to develop its nuclear missile program, Central Asia and the Middle East.

The share of military spending in recent years has been 5% of the GNP, which can already be considered a critical point. Tax revenues are falling due to lower oil prices and sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, and since 2017 there has been a reduction in the military budget. The regular army of Russia consists of almost 900 thousand people, which is adequate for a large territory, moreover, there are significant reserves.

Even if the planned military bases are built, Japan and the United States will not be able to attack them, so this should save money. You can do other things, and not deploy troops in the hard-to-reach Arctic and the Far East, but as long as economic difficulties continue, there will be military expansion.

Improving international security as a condition for the return of territories

In parallel with the deployment of armed forces in the Kuril Islands, President Putin began to express concerns about international security when discussing the problem of the "northern territories". In December 2016, at a press conference during a visit to Japan, he stated: “Russia has two large naval bases north of Vladivostok, on its way to Pacific Ocean our ships are forced to pass the South Kuril Islands, I want our Japanese friends to understand this situation. "

In June 2017, speaking to major international news agencies, Vladimir Putin said: “If the South Kuril Islands become Japanese territory, it will be theoretically possible for the US armed forces to come to them. I am not familiar with their bilateral agreement and its annexes. But there is such a possibility. Therefore, we need to deal with easing tensions in the region as a whole, and only then will we find opportunities to conclude a serious and long-term agreement with Japan. "

Thus, the improvement of the international security situation was also named as a prerequisite for the conclusion of a Russian-Japanese peace treaty. This is the first time since the collapse of the USSR that Russia makes an improvement in the international security situation as a necessary condition.

As for the strengthening of military capabilities in the Kuril Islands, it was stated that “we are interested in our security, averting threats away from our borders, the South Kurils are important for this. I support military modernization here. "

And at the Vietnam-Da Nang meeting in November last year: “When concluding a Russian-Japanese peace treaty, we must take into account the Japanese-American security treaty and the obligations it imposes on Japan. In this sense, the security system existing between Japan and the United States "prevents the conclusion of a Russian-Japanese peace treaty."

As for the development of relations between Japan and Russia, in March 2017, for the first time in the past four years, a meeting in the "2 + 2" format of the diplomatic and military leaders of the two countries was held in Tokyo; in December, after a seven-year break, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, visited Japan ... While bilateral security dialogue continues, differences remain, such as US-Japan missile defense cooperation and North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to resolve the territorial issue from a strong leadership position, President Putin views the issue in terms of a global strategy involving the United States.

The course of further negotiations is hindered by the fact that international security issues are becoming a new obstacle to the conclusion of a peace treaty.

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