(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Russia Announces Military Exercises In Kuril Islands Claimed By Japan -- Moscow Times/Reuters
Russia began military exercises in the Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday, a move likely to anger Japan, which also lays claim to them.
"Exercises began involving military units in the region, which have been deployed to the Kuril Islands," Colonel Alexander Gordeyev, a spokesman for Russia's Eastern Military District, told news agency Interfax.
He said more than 1,000 troops, five Mi-8AMTSh attack helicopters and 100 other pieces of military hardware would be involved in the manoeuvres.
The dispute has strained relations Japan and Russia since World War II, when Soviet forces occupied the four islands at the southern end of the Kuril chain. Japan says the islands are part of its territory and wants Moscow to hand them over.
Read more ....
Update: Russia begins military exercises in islands also claimed by Japan -- World Bulletin
My Comment: Japan has supported Western moves and sanctions on Russia because of Ukraine .... this is Russia's response to Japan.
