Russian dictator Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands on August 13 for the first time, whose occupation by Russia is disputed by Japan. The Institute for the Study of War believes the trip may have been the Kremlin’s response to Tokyo’s more assertive defense policy.
This is stated in an ISW report.
Putin visited the largest island in the Kuril chain, Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu. There he held several meetings, including with Sakhalin Oblast Governor Valery Limarenko, Russian Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Liina, head of the FSB Border Service in Sakhalin Oblast Sergey Makhorin, and acting commander of the 68th Guards Army Corps Alexey Shvedov.
ISW notes that elements of the 68th Guards Army Corps are fighting in the Oleksandrivka direction.
Analysts link Putin’s visit to Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper, published in early August. In their view, the Kremlin is thus trying to counter Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s efforts to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities.
Putin criticized Japan’s Defense White Paper for naming Russia as one of Japan’s key threats. He also stated that Russia needs to “ensure security on all of its borders and all of its territories.”
ISW noted that the statement came amid regular Russian air operations that force Japan to scramble fighter jets.
Takaichi strongly condemned Putin’s visit to Etorofu and reiterated Japan’s territorial claims to the Kuril Islands. Russia and Japan never signed a formal peace treaty after the end of World War II. The territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, remains unresolved.
