The Russian president inspected the Pacific fleet on his first trip to the disputed archipelago, drawing a protest from Tokyo
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 1:19pm, 13 Aug 2026Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the far-eastern Kuril Islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting a “strong” protest by Japan which also claims the territory.
Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by tensions over the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.
The Kremlin posted a video of Putin in the Kuril Islands, with Russian media saying he visited a fish-processing plant where he was given caviar.
Putin travelled to the Kurils after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, where Russia’s navy was conducting drills.
In Sakhalin, Putin held a meeting “on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders”, RIA Novosti said.
Japan, whose ties with Russia have worsened further since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – just as Moscow’s relations with China and North Korea have warmed – objected strongly.
