Russia to deploy cruise missiles on Kuril Islands: Interfax
Mar. 2, 2011
Russia will deploy antiship cruise missiles and an advanced air defense system on the Kuril Islands, including the four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido claimed by Japan, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian defense official as saying Tuesday.
The official of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces said Russia will set up Yakhont antiship missiles and the Tor-M2 missile shield, according to the news agency.
The cruise missiles could be deployed in Etorofu and Kunashiri, two of the four disputed islands which have major military sites in the Kuril Islands, a possible move likely to provoke a backlash from Japan.
The Yakhont missile has a range of 200-300 kilometers and can travel at a sonic speed. If installed on Etorofu and Kunashiri, they could cover a part of Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan.
The Tor-M2 system can launch four missiles at four targets at once, dramatically improving defense capabilities in sea and airspace over the four islands.
Russia also plans to deploy Mi28 helicopters to Etorofu which carry antitank missiles, Interfax quoted the official as saying. The official was also quoted as saying that a buildup plan for the Kuril Islands area has already been submitted to Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the news agency added. The plan presumably includes the deployments of the Yakhont missiles and the Tor-M2 system.
Such moves came after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in early February that the country will consolidate its presence on the Kuril Islands, seeing them as a strategic region. First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin has said state-of-the-art equipment will be installed in the region.
Tokyo and Moscow have been at odds over the sovereignty of the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan as well as the Habomai islet group, which were seized by the Soviet Union following Japan's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, 1945. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a postwar peace treaty.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on March 1, 2011)
The cruise missiles could be deployed in Etorofu and Kunashiri, two of the four disputed islands which have major military sites in the Kuril Islands, a possible move likely to provoke a backlash from Japan.
The Yakhont missile has a range of 200-300 kilometers and can travel at a sonic speed. If installed on Etorofu and Kunashiri, they could cover a part of Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan.
The Tor-M2 system can launch four missiles at four targets at once, dramatically improving defense capabilities in sea and airspace over the four islands.
Russia also plans to deploy Mi28 helicopters to Etorofu which carry antitank missiles, Interfax quoted the official as saying. The official was also quoted as saying that a buildup plan for the Kuril Islands area has already been submitted to Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the news agency added. The plan presumably includes the deployments of the Yakhont missiles and the Tor-M2 system.
Such moves came after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in early February that the country will consolidate its presence on the Kuril Islands, seeing them as a strategic region. First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin has said state-of-the-art equipment will be installed in the region.
Tokyo and Moscow have been at odds over the sovereignty of the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan as well as the Habomai islet group, which were seized by the Soviet Union following Japan's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, 1945. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a postwar peace treaty.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on March 1, 2011)
