>Russia said on Wednesday that a division of its Bastion coastal defence missile systems had been deployed to Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands in the north Pacific, some of which Japan claims as its territory.
>The move is part of a wider strengthening of Russian defences in its vast far eastern regions, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, partly in response to what he called U.S. efforts to “contain” Russia and China.
>Japan, a close U.S. ally, claims the four southern Kuril islands, which were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War Two. Japan does not claim Paramushir, one of the northern Kuril islands.
>The issue has prevented Moscow and Tokyo ever signing a peace treaty formally ending hostilities.
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Excerpt from the linked content:^1
>Russia said on Wednesday that a division of its Bastion coastal defence missile systems had been deployed to Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands in the north Pacific, some of which Japan claims as its territory.
>The move is part of a wider strengthening of Russian defences in its vast far eastern regions, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, partly in response to what he called U.S. efforts to “contain” Russia and China.
>Japan, a close U.S. ally, claims the four southern Kuril islands, which were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War Two. Japan does not claim Paramushir, one of the northern Kuril islands.
>The issue has prevented Moscow and Tokyo ever signing a peace treaty formally ending hostilities.
^1 Gareth Jones, Reuters, 22 Mar. 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-boosts-defences-near-japan-accuses-us-expanding-asia-pacific-presence-2023-03-22/