Russia test-fires missiles from disputed island as Putin’s visit deepens rift with Japan
Russia’s Pacific Fleet has test-fired anti-ship missiles from one of the disputed Kuril Islands, a week after President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the archipelago angered Japan and set off a diplomatic exchange.
The fleet said Thursday that a Bastion coastal missile system stationed on Etorofu, known as Iturup in Russia, carried out a simulated strike against enemy warships and hit its targets at a distance of about 300 kilometers. A guided-missile cruiser and a nuclear-powered submarine took part, according to Russian news reports.
“We cannot tolerate moves to strengthen military power on the Four Northern Islands because they go against our country’s stance on the territories,” Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said during a visit to Oman.
The live-fire exercise was part of a broader Pacific Fleet drill that began on Aug. 4 and is scheduled to last until Aug. 29. Russia’s state news agency TASS said the maneuvers involve about 60 surface ships, submarines and support vessels, some 30 aircraft, helicopters and drones, and more than 13,000 personnel. Japan said it had been warned in advance that live firing would take place and lodged a protest on Aug. 5.
Putin watched part of the exercise from the deck of the Varyag, the fleet’s flagship, on Aug. 12, and traveled to Etorofu the following day. Speaking from the cruiser, he described the region as increasingly prone to conflict.
“NATO is seeking to gain a foothold here, and new military and political blocs are emerging,” Putin said. “There are efforts and plans to deploy new weapons systems here, which creates threats for our country.”
The visit was the first by a Russian president to the islands, prompting a formal protest from Tokyo and a reciprocal summoning of ambassadors in both capitals.
The islands lie just off the eastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, and include Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai group. Japan calls them the Northern Territories; Russia regards them as part of the Kuril chain. The sovereignty dispute stretches back to the 19th century, and the Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan in the final days of World War II. Because the disagreement has never been resolved, Moscow and Tokyo have never signed a peace treaty formally ending the war.
Bilateral relations have soured sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Japan joined its Group of Seven partners in imposing sanctions on Moscow. The latest missile drill is likely to harden Tokyo’s concerns about Russian military activity along its northern frontier, and it underlines how distant any near-term settlement of the territorial dispute remains.