Moscow has announced that Bastion missile systems have been deployed on Paramushir, one of the Kuril Islands, as part of a plan to strengthen defenses in the Far East, Reuters writes.
The territorial ownership of the Kuril Islands is still an unresolved issue between Russia and Japan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced that the strengthening of the Kuril Islands is a response to US efforts to contain Russia and China.
Speaking to the army leadership right after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, Shoigu said:
«To contain Russia and China, the United States is significantly increasing its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region,
strengthening its political and military links with its allies, continuing to create a new American security architecture in this region.»
Japan, a close US ally, claims four islands in the southern part of the Kuril archipelago, but Japan does not claim Paramushira, which is located in the north of the archipelago.
According to Shoigu, the forces of the Russian army in the east of the country received about 400 units of modern military equipment in the last year. He also stated that the modernization of Moscow’s air defense system will be completed this year.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, Russian officials have repeatedly blamed Kyiv for drone attacks deep inside Russian territory. Shoigu stated that the Russian Air Forces allegedly destroyed more than 20,000 military objects in Ukraine.
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