Russia Deploys Bastion Coast Missile System on Kuril Islands Near Japan

Russia Deploys Bastion Coast Missile System on Kuril Islands Near Japan

Moskow - Russia's Defense Ministry says it has deployed the mobile Bastion coastal defense missile system on the northern Kuril islands. The island is part of a strategically located island chain that stretches between Japan and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

Japan claims the Russian-controlled southern Kuril Islands which Tokyo refers to as the Northern Territories. This claim is a territorial dispute that dates back to the end of the Second World War when Soviet forces seized it from the Japanese. "Russia's Bastion missile system, which has missiles with a flight range of up to 500 km, was deployed on Paramushir Island in the northern part of the Kuril Islands," said the Russian Ministry of Defense, Monday (5/12/2022).

"The Pacific Fleet's littorals will remain on guard around the clock to control the territorial waters and adjacent strait zones," said the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Russian Ministry of Defense said a military camp was set up in Paramushir with conditions allowing for year-round service, accommodation, recreation and food for personnel. "This deployment comes a year after Russia installed the Bastion missile system on the island of Matua, in the central part of the Kuril ridge," said the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank said in a September report that overshadowed by the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's militarization of the Kuril Islands "goes largely undetected." “Russia's moves to increase its presence show the islands will continue to play a damaging role in the future of Russia-Japan relations. Japan and the United States should deepen consultations regarding Russia's activities in the region," said the report, which was published on the CSIS website.

Japan has joined its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia after sending tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in what Moscow called a "special military operation". Ukraine and its allies say Russia is waging war for no reason. Russia withdrew from peace treaty talks with Japan and froze joint economic projects related to the disputed Kuril Islands due to Japanese sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.