Near the Kuril Islands, a Pacific chain claimed by both Russia and Japan, the Russian military has placed coastal defense missile systems. The move looked to be meant to emphasize Moscow's steadfast approach in the conflict.
Per SFGate, the Bastion systems were transferred to Matua, a desolate volcanic island in the middle of the chain. Japan claims the four most southern islands. On Thursday, Russia's Defense Ministry released a video showing huge missile carriers arriving from amphibious landing ships and driving along the volcanic island's coast to assume fire positions as part of training.
Russia sends missiles near Pacific Islands
According to the ministry, the deployment included building residential quarters for troops, vehicle hangars, and other infrastructure. Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems were stationed on two of the four southernmost Kuril Islands in 2016.
In the years that followed, it sent top-of-the-line air defense missile systems and established an airport on Iturup Island, where fighter jets were stationed. The four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which Japan refers to as the Northern Territories, are claimed by Japan.
The Soviet Union seized the islands in the last days of WWII, and the dispute has delayed the two countries from signing a peace treaty that would officially end the conflict. On the oval-shaped, 11-kilometer-long (6.8-mile) island where the Russian missiles were stationed during WWII, a Japanese military base was constructed.
Matua was home to a Soviet military post during the Soviet conquest of the Kuril Islands, which was closed due to financial constraints following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. When asked about the missile deployment, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, stated that Russia has the sovereign right to deploy its armed troops anywhere it sees necessary on its territory.
Russia's Defense Ministry published the clip on Thursday. It shows massive missile carriers coming ashore from amphibious landing ships and moving around the volcanic island's shoreline in rehearsals to take up firing positions. The deployment came after Russia took a series of moves to beef up its military presence in the Kuril Islands.
During the Soviet regime of the Kuril Islands, Matua was home to a Soviet military installation, which was closed due to financial restrictions after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Peskov also stressed that Russia appreciates its relations with Japan and is committed to resolving the dispute through negotiations.
Russia Wants To Arm Its Massive Typhoon-class Submarines
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev stated Russia's aim to store hundreds of cruise missiles into two of its decommissioned Typhoon-class ballistic submarines, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
The Typhoon ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) are the world's largest and most expensive submarines, as shown in the film Hunt for Red October. The cruise missile-armed Typhoons would be exact duplicates of the United States' four Ohio-class cruise missile submarines (SSGNs), which had their nuclear-armed ballistic missile launch tubes replaced with vertical launch systems for 154 conventionally-armed Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Typhoon-class submarines, also known as Project 941 Akula ("Shark") in Russia, are Cold War behemoths measuring 175 meters in length and capable of submerging 48,000 tons. That's twice as much as the American Ohio-class SSBNs with which it was planned to compete. The Typhoon's five internal pressure hulls, made of ultra-expensive titanium, offered it incredible combat damage resistance-and exorbitant production costs, as per National Interest.
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