Russia’s Pacific Fleet сonducts missile drills near disputed Kuril Islands

Russia’s Pacific Fleet conducted training missile strikes against a group of simulated enemy ships near the southern Kuril Islands on Thursday, August 20, the fleet’s press service said.

The exercise involved several Pacific Fleet surface vessels, a nuclear-powered submarine and a coastal missile unit, according to a statement. The simulated target group was positioned more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) from the firing positions.

“According to objective monitoring, all targets were successfully hit,” the statement said, as per foreign media reports.

The guided-missile cruiser Varyag carried out a practice launch of two Vulkan anti-ship missiles, while the nuclear-powered submarine Omsk conducted a salvo launch of Granit cruise missiles. A Bastion coastal missile system stationed on one of the Kuril Islands also launched an Oniks anti-ship missile.

Pacific Fleet naval aviation supplied target-designation data to the task force’s command post. The fleet said the firing area had been closed in advance to civilian shipping and aircraft.

The drills were part of scheduled combat-training activities, the Pacific Fleet said.

The exercises come amid a fresh diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the Kuril Islands, which are controlled by Russia but also claimed by Japan.

Japan protested Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August 13 visit to Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands in the disputed chain. Tokyo refers to the islands as its “Northern Territories”, while Russia administers them as part of Sakhalin Region.

The territorial dispute has remained unresolved since the end of World War II and has prevented Russia and Japan from concluding a formal peace treaty.

By Tamilla Hasanova