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POLITICSELEVATEDAug 13 · Aug 13, 2026, 5:19 AM

Russia’s Putin makes first visit to Kuril Islands claimed by Japan

South China Morning Post

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited on Thursday Russia’s far eastern Kuril Islands for the first time, 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...

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Russia’s Putin makes first visit to Kuril Islands claimed by Japan · GlobeAlert