YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK (Realist English). On 13 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril island of Iturup for the first time in history, as part of a working trip to Sakhalin region.
The working programme began with an inspection of the region’s key industry enterprise – the Yasny fish processing plant. The head of state was shown production facilities, treated to locally produced caviar, and told that tuna weighing up to 300 kg can be found in the waters around the islands.
The president then visited Secondary School No. 1 named after Hero of Russia Eduard Norpolov, who was killed in 2022 during the special military operation.
Putin toured classrooms, the gym and the school museum, and spoke with pupils. The president also visited the central district hospital, where he was shown modern equipment, and medical staff asked him to provide a new ambulance vehicle.
On Iturup, Putin met with Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko.
During their conversation, the president stated that a strong rouble creates problems for export-oriented enterprises, and also noted that Russians have a “genetic code of winners.”
The trip to Iturup was part of a larger visit to Siberia and the Far East. The day before, Putin arrived in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, where he observed the final stage of Pacific Fleet exercises from the deck of the missile cruiser Varyag.
Chronology of Russian leaders’ visits to the Kuril Islands
| Year | Leader | Position | Island |
| 2010 | Dmitry Medvedev | President | Iturup |
| 2012 | Dmitry Medvedev | Prime Minister | Iturup |
| 2015 | Dmitry Medvedev | Prime Minister | Iturup |
| 2019 | Dmitry Medvedev | Prime Minister | Iturup |
| 2021 | Mikhail Mishustin | Prime Minister | Iturup |
| 2026 | Vladimir Putin | President | Iturup |
Source: open data
Japan’s reaction: decisive protest
The Russian president’s visit prompted an immediate reaction from Tokyo. Japan’s Foreign Ministry lodged a “decisive protest” over Putin’s trip to Iturup.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed that “Iturup Island, including the four northern islands, is an inherent territory of Japan from both a historical and international law perspective.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that the islands are “Japan’s inherent territory.”
Historical context
Iturup is one of the four islands in the southern part of the Kuril chain that are disputed between Russia and Japan. In Japan, these territories are referred to as the “Northern Territories.”
The dispute over them has been the main reason Moscow and Tokyo have not yet signed a peace treaty after World War II. At the end of the war, the Soviet Union annexed the islands and deported approximately 17,000 Japanese residents.
The islands hold strategic importance for Russia. Iturup is used as a major airbase in the region.
Last month, Chinese and Russian naval vessels passed through a strait in the Kuril chain during a joint patrol.
Putin’s visit to Iturup is a symbolic move emphasising the inviolability of Russia’s position on the ownership of the Kuril Islands. The demonstration of infrastructure facilities (factory, school, hospital) is intended to confirm the effectiveness of Russia’s presence on the islands. At the same time, the visit inevitably strains relations with Japan, which considers Iturup its own territory.
Tokyo has already lodged a protest, which could complicate the already frozen dialogue on a peace treaty and economic cooperation.
