The four southernmost islands of the chain also are claimed by Japan, which calls them the Northern Territories.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko in Kurilsk on the Iturup Island, the largest of the Kuril Islands of Russia's fareast, on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
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Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
Putin's first visit to disputed Kuril Islands sparks protests from Japan, highlighting ongoing territorial tensions between the…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for the first time visited the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island…
Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the volcanic chain's southern islands. He also briefly…
The Russian president inspected the Pacific fleet on his first trip to the disputed archipelago, drawing a protest from Tokyo.
President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan,…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Kuril Islands for the first time, sparking a protest from Japan.
