The Japanese Foreign Ministry has already responded to this information, saying that Tokyo is “closely monitoring the movement of Russian troops” and is studying the issue of building a Russian Navy base in the Kuril Islands. So why does Russia need a base in the Kuril Islands, the appearance of which will certainly provoke discontent on the Japanese side, and where will it be located?

Let's start with the fact that from a military point of view, the Kuril Islands should be considered a strategic territory, if only because on these borders with our closest neighbor Japan we still do not have a peace treaty, and the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and the Habomai Tokyo archipelago are still considers it its “northern territories”. At the same time, the United States has its military installations on the territory of Japan itself.

In particular, the Japanese island of Okinawa is of great strategic importance for the United States. In fact, this is the Pentagon's outpost in the Pacific Ocean. It has a whole network of military bases, training grounds and airfields. There is a US military airbase called Kadena, which plays an important role for the American presence in Southeast Asia. In addition, approximately 16,000 U.S. Marines serve at Camp Hansen, Camp Schwab and Camp Zuckeran. In total, about 30,000 thousand American troops are stationed in Okinawa - approximately half of the entire US military contingent in Japan.

Even if we theoretically assume that a potential enemy captures the Russian Kuril Islands, this immediately opens up for him a direct path to the entire territory of Russia from the Pacific Ocean. That is why during the Soviet era the Kuril Islands were reliably protected by large groups of troops. In particular, a powerful marine division was stationed there. But then, with the collapse of the Union, the number of troops in the Kuril Islands began to rapidly decrease. It was expensive to supply troops from the center, the authorities rarely got there for inspections, and numerous reformers preferred to “cut” and “optimize” rather than prove the need to strengthen the Far Eastern group. So, in essence, the current decision to create a naval base here is just the restoration of the “status quo” - the previously existing situation.

It is known that today the 18th machine gun and artillery division, numbering up to three and a half thousand people, is based in the Kuril Islands. It is well equipped with self-propelled artillery, air defense systems, rocket artillery and tanks. An attack from the sea on the island of Kunashir can be repelled by the Bal complexes, and on the island of Iturup by the Bastion complexes.

In addition to missile systems, coastal units are reinforced with universal, highly automated Leer-3 complexes, which include control stations and Orlan-10 drones, which can be used by different types of troops - from motorized infantry and tank crews to electronic warfare units.

However, according to the military, for the anti-landing defense of the islands, as well as for a more tangible Russian military presence in the area, especially taking into account the fact that the Japanese still lay claim to them, it is still necessary to strengthen the naval group.

Now parts of the Pacific Fleet there are actually divided into two components - one is based in Vilyuchinsk, the other in Vladivostok. “An intermediate base is absolutely necessary,” says Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis.

It is not yet clear which of the Kuril Islands will become the location for the deployment of a new military facility for the Russian fleet. But the military department has been thinking about this task for a long time. Our sailors have more than once conducted months-long expeditionary trips to the islands of the Greater Kuril Ridge with the goal (Sergei Shoigu himself spoke about this) to study the possibility of a future basing of Pacific Fleet forces.

In particular, a joint expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society (which, by the way, like the military department is also headed by Sergei Shoigu) visited the island of Matua, which the Japanese used as a naval and air base during World War II.

Matua is an island in the middle of the Kuril chain, formed by volcanic activity. By the way, Japan does not lay claim to it, which is important if we consider the island as a potential location for a Russian Navy base. From this point of view, Matua is located very well. Three runways there still remain from the Japanese. And the participants of the joint expedition were quite surprised when they found that, taking into account the wind rose, even the most modern aircraft can still land on these runways in almost any weather conditions.

According to a number of military experts, it is this island that will most likely be considered as the location of a new Russian naval base.

At the end of March, it was announced that in the near future a base for ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet may appear on the islands of the Great Kuril Chain disputed by Japan. Earlier, there were statements about a serious strengthening of the Eastern Military District and garrisons on the disputed islands. “Our Version” figured out why, given the growing military threat on the western borders, there is a significant strengthening of the Russian military group in the Far East.

As Sergei Shoigu reported, already in April the Navy will conduct a three-month expedition to the islands of the Great Kuril Ridge, the purpose of which will be to study the possibilities for creating a new base for the Pacific Fleet in the Kuril Islands. According to the Minister of Defense, the islands have an important military-strategic location to ensure the territorial integrity and national security of Russia, which is why placing bases here “will help the country solve these problems more effectively.” Earlier, the Ministry of Defense emphasized that a planned rearmament of the forces stationed in the Kuril Islands is being carried out.

In 2016, it is planned to transfer powerful and modern weapons to the region, including the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, as well as new generation drones.

At the same time, the Russian leadership understands that such activity will complicate relations with Japan. It is no coincidence that former military man and now head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Viktor Ozerov has already called on Tokyo not to consider the possible basing of Russian warships in the Kuril Islands as a threat. However, noting that the number of ships of the Pacific Military Fleet that can be stationed in the Kuril Islands will depend on the quality of relations with Japan and other states of the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan can return the Kuril Islands by force today

The dispute between Russia and Japan over the “northern territories,” as the Southern Kuril Islands are called in Japan, has been going on for more than 60 years, and so far no compromise has been reached through diplomatic means. Therefore, in response to Shoigu’s statements, Japan immediately stated that strengthening the military infrastructure in the disputed territories was of concern to them. The main reason is that the Kuril Islands are of great economic and military-strategic importance for the entire region. And above all for Russia: the deep-sea strait, which does not freeze in winter, between the islands of Kunashir and Iturup is the only exit to the ocean for the Pacific Fleet. That is why the issue of returning the islands to Japan, in principle, can hardly be resolved positively.

Today, neither side intends to concede; it seems that political methods have been exhausted, but no one believes in the prospect of a fourth war between Japan and Russia. Although, as recent events show, the situation in the world can change dramatically in a matter of weeks. So the military potentials of countries can play an important role in this dispute. And here, unfortunately, many things are not in Russia’s favor. According to experts, too few forces are concentrated in the east, while the units are scattered at a great distance from each other. Another problem for the Eastern Military District, which ensures the security of the Kuril ridge, is its remoteness, which does not allow troop groups to be built up in a short time. Therefore, experts believe that theoretically Japan is already capable of carrying out a lightning war today, quickly landing on the Kuril Islands, capturing harbors and anchorages, and covering all this from the sea and from the air. That is why Russia’s attention to the military component of the Kuril Islands is so great. Moreover, it arose against the background of the strengthening of the Japanese self-defense forces. Thus, in mid-July, the Land of the Rising Sun adopted amendments to the law that allow the use of the Japanese army to help protect its allies outside the country. The amendments also expanded the ability of Japanese forces to conduct peacekeeping operations overseas.

In addition, in recent years the Japanese have significantly strengthened their armed forces. Today, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is one of the most powerful in the Asia-Pacific region and is more than 2 times larger than the Russian Pacific Fleet. In total, the Japanese Navy has more than 250 modern warships and auxiliary vessels and boats, including one light aircraft carrier and four helicopter destroyers. Most destroyers are equipped with anti-submarine helicopters and anti-ship missile systems with American Harpoon missiles. Landing ships are represented by pennants of the Osumi type, tank landing ships Miura, Atsumi, small landing ships of the Yura and Yusotei types. With them, the Japanese are capable of transporting up to one brigade of ground forces at a time. There is even a light aircraft carrier of the Hyuga class.

There are 20 diesel submarines in service: 7 of the Harusio type, armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Oyashio submarines are silent, with a 20-knot underwater speed, capable of firing torpedoes or Sub-Harpoon missiles from six bow torpedo tubes (533 mm). There are two boats of the Soryu type - with an increased diving range.

Alexander Khramchikhin, head of the analytical department of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis:

– The rearmament of the Eastern Military District and the division on the Kuril Islands is undoubtedly taking place as part of the planned re-equipment of the Russian Armed Forces, this has been talked about for a long time. Apparently, as part of this, the Kuril group will be re-equipped, and perhaps special attention will be paid to it. The reason for this refurbishment is obvious - these islands are disputed by Japan, while they are highly isolated for geographical reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to have a group there that is capable of repelling an enemy attack completely autonomously for some time.

The Pacific Fleet is recovering, but slowly

At the same time, the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, battered by the post-Soviet era, is not being restored as quickly as we would like. Today, about a hundred ships remain of its former power, and a third of them are under repair, reserve or mothballed. At the same time, the Pacific Fleet is divided into two groups, which are based in Kamchatka and Primorye. The part remaining in Primorye has, in fact, turned into a small flotilla of heterogeneous forces, where the main combat power is the Varyag missile cruiser, which has crossed the 20-year mark.

Submarines are stationed in Kamchatka. The 16th submarine squadron is armed with Project 949A Antey submarine cruisers of the same type as the Kursk, Shchuka-B nuclear torpedo boats (Project 971), diesel-electric Varshavyanka and 667BDR strategic boats.

The Kuril Islands are directly defended by the 18th machine gun and artillery division with a strength of 3.5 thousand people. The 46th machine gun and artillery regiment is located on Kunashir, the 484th machine gun and artillery regiment is on Iturup. At the same time, the division is extremely poorly connected to the mainland, especially in winter. This means that the garrison is highly dependent on the weather; the delivery of ammunition, food and medicine from the mainland will be difficult. All of the regiment's weapons and equipment are outdated; according to various estimates, up to 80% of the equipment and weapons require major repairs or must be written off. Only last year there were reports that the division had received T-80 tanks, this, of course, is not the most modern weapons, but if you remember that earlier IS-2, IS-3 and T tanks dug into the ground were used to create strong points -34, then this is serious progress.

According to some information, last year the Bal coastal anti-ship missile system, adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2008, was deployed to the disputed islands. It is designed to control territorial waters and strait zones, protect naval bases, other coastal facilities and coastal infrastructure. It is also reported that at the moment there is a modern air defense system in the Kuril Islands - the Tor and Buk complexes are on constant combat duty. There have been repeated statements that the Ministry of Defense is considering the option of deploying modern S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in the Kuril Islands, but for now this is in the plans.

However, it looks like they will now be accelerated. Recently, it has been announced that a modern infrastructure will be created. In the Kuril Islands, the construction of military camps and the re-equipment of units based there have begun - by the end of 2016, 392 objects for various purposes will be built in Iturup and Kunashir. In this way, the Ministry of Defense is preparing to seriously strengthen the “eastern front” of the country, where, in the event of an armed conflict, many more problems may arise than on the western front.

Scope valid until 2015 Federal Target Program "Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2007-2015" amounts to 21 billion rubles.

The bulk of this amount is allocated from the federal budget. The Sakhalin Region also plans to attract funds from private investors for the development of the Kuril Islands. Private investment in the islands' economy now amounts to a billion rubles a year, and by 2015 it will increase to 6 billion. details about the new infrastructure of the Kuril Islands (many photos) The Kuril Islands include 30 large and many small islands. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. Population of the Kuril Islands - 18,735 people Kunashir Island- the southernmost island of the Great Kuril Islands. Population - approx. 8000 people. Yuzhno-Kurilsk- administrative center of the South Kuril Okrug.


Social housing

In August 2012, a ceremony for presenting warrants and keys to new apartments took place in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The 10-apartment building was built with funds from the regional and local budgets under one of the regional programs.
House of Culture (medical and educational expedition “Borders of Russia”, August 2010)
New kindergarten Port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk New deep-water pier

The commissioning of modern deep-sea berthing complexes in Kunashir and Iturup will bring the transport infrastructure in the Kuril Islands to a qualitatively new level and improve the quality of life on the islands. The motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" moored at the new pier for the first time (February 2011)
Construction is underway with funds from the federal program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands and the budget of the Sakhalin region marine terminal on the territory of the constructed mooring complex in the South Kuril Bay. In addition to passengers, this building will house various services - a border checkpoint, a customs post, port supervision, administration and a control room of the seaport. Completion of construction is planned for 2012.

Mendeleevo Airport The airfield was built by the Japanese when the island of Kunashir was still under Japanese control and has hardly been rebuilt since then. In 2006 it was closed due to complete deterioration of the infrastructure and destruction of the runway. During the reconstruction, within the framework of the Federal Target Program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands, a new passenger terminal, taxiways, a new apron, a runway (runway), a landing system and lighting equipment were put into operation. Operates on the island Mendeleevskaya GeoTPP(geothermal power plant), which provides the island with heat and electricity. Volcano energy as a source of heat and light for humans is the operating principle of this station. Commissioning of the second stage of the station in 2007 provided 100% of the heat demand in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The planned modernization of the Mendeleevskaya Geothermal Power Plant will increase its capacity from 3.6 MW to 7.4 MW.
On about. Kunashir has two fish processing plants - LLC PKF "South Kuril Fish Processing Plant" and LLC "Delta". The Yuzhno-Kuril Fish Processing Plant has modernized its production processing lines. All fish and seafood caught by its own trawl fleet are delivered ashore without loss of quality. Integrated shift of 25 people successfully copes with large volumes of incoming raw materials.In 2011, the first kilometers of asphalt were laid on Kunashir Island.

Iturup Island-an island of the southern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago. Population - 6387 people. Kurilsk- the administrative center of the island. In recent years, a modern microdistrict “Severny” has been built in the village of Kurilsk. Within its boundaries it is planned to build a large palace of culture and sports, under the roof of which there will be a sports complex, a swimming pool, a cultural center and other institutions. In 2006, a modern fish processing complex "Reidovo" was launched on the island..
Six air freezing chambers ensure the production of 74 tons of finished frozen fish products per day.
On about. Iturup also houses the Yasny fish processing plant, equipped with a one-of-a-kind freezing tunnel for air freezing of fish, which allows the continuous freezing of 210 tons of finished fish products per day. There is a caviar workshop where 3 tons of caviar are produced per day. In addition, there is a salting shop with a capacity of 25 tons per day and a refrigerator with a capacity of 2300 tons of simultaneous storage. There are several other fishing enterprises, the largest of which are Skit, Bug, and Continent. The buildings of the Kuril Secondary School for 250 students have already been built on the island, as well as a modern central regional hospital with 50 beds and a clinic for 100 visits per shift. New hospital
Sports complex

improvement work

In February 2012, two 8-apartment buildings were put into operation
The new airport “Iturup” is located on the sunny side of the island, which will allow easy access to the island even in bad weather. The extended 2.2 km long runway will accommodate all types of aircraft operating in the region. Near Kurilsk there is a geothermal spring with radon waters.
A few years ago, the springs consisted of two concrete vats for salting fish, in which vacationers took baths, not forgetting to litter the surrounding area with broken bottle glass. Geothermal springs were improved by the company "Gidrostoroy"
Shikotan Island- the largest island of the Malaya ridge of the Kuril Islands. Malokurilskoe- the administrative center of the island. Population - approx. 2100 people. Using funds from the federal program, a deep-water pier has already been built and is being operated in Malokurilskaya Bay on Shikotan, and in the neighboring Krabozavodskaya Bay on the same Shikotan, the construction of a pier is nearing completion on co-financing terms - the own funds of Gidrostroy JSC and the regional budget.



The Krabozavodsk fish processing complex is equipped with the most modern equipment.
The workshop's capacity allows it to receive and process up to 300 tons of raw fish every day.
New kindergarten for 70 places (2010)

Kuril Islands / Photo: riarealty.ru

A number of new military facilities will appear on the Kuril Islands of Iturup and Kunashir, reports the press service of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy).

The press service noted that social infrastructure is also being built on the islands: dormitories for military personnel, cultural, leisure and sports centers.

The total construction area reaches 400 thousand square meters, in total it is planned to construct 392 buildings and structures. More than 500 builders and 100 pieces of equipment are involved in the construction of military infrastructure.

Also, according to Spetsstroy, all military facilities in the Kuril Islands will be equipped with the latest security system “Strelets-Sentry”, which will allow messages about emergency situations to be transmitted via secure communication channels, RIA Novosti reports.

reference Information

Sagittarius guarding military facilities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex

By the end of 2015, national superheroes will protect the borders of Russia using unique bracelets

Just recently, fantastic bracelets from superhero movies were just a utopia. However, the Sagittarius company managed to turn fantasy into reality.

Superhero bracelets are unique security points for receiving and transmitting information, which form the basis of the integrated complex of technical security equipment “Sagittarius-Sentinel”. Using bracelets, you can not only monitor the status of each guard (GLONASS sensor, immobility sensor), but also secretly notify him of an emergency situation at the facility with a vibration signal. In other words, the Strelets company was able to combine the entire complex of technical means of protecting an object directly with the person on combat duty. In the event of an emergency at the facility, an alarm signal will immediately be sent to the bracelet and to the control headquarters.

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev gets acquainted with the Sagittarius-Chasovoy mobile complex at the Russian Ministry of Defense forum / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

“We need to implement it!” – Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev succinctly stated after getting acquainted with the Sagittarius-Chasovoy mobile complex at the International Military-Technical Forum of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Minister of Defense said that the complex has already been put into service and will enter the Russian army in 2015.

Today, the Sagittarius-Chasovoy complex is already used to protect the most important military facilities, for example, the National Defense Control Center of Russia in Moscow, as well as the Patriot Park in Kubinka.

At the official closing ceremony of the forum, the Strelets company was awarded the award “For its contribution to the preparation and organization of the international military-technical forum” / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

Patriot Park under the sign of Sagittarius

All security systems of the Patriot Park: video surveillance, access control, perimeter security and personal alarm systems were implemented using Sagittarius-Sentry technology, including wireless.

As a result of the use of modern wireless technologies, Strelets LLC quickly created a reliable security system at the international forum of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Uralmashzavod chose Strelets

The largest industrial enterprise of national importance was fully equipped with the Strelets radio channel system.

"Uralmashplant" / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

• Installation in a short time (no need to lay cable lines and wires).
• No false alarms (for example, welding work leads to interference in long wires - a kind of antenna for interference).
• Possibility of stage-by-stage reconstruction of buildings without disrupting communication lines of security systems.

Wireless and traditional technologies of the Sagittarius-Sentry system provide a qualitatively new level of security for defense complex facilities.

Several years ago, the Russian government drew attention to the Kuril Islands as a Russian outpost in the Far East, deciding to create (primarily in Iturup and Kunashir) an updated military and social infrastructure - on the basis of what had existed since Soviet times.

Construction work in the active phase began in the second half of 2014. In a relatively short time, the contractors Spetsstroy Rossii and Instrakt-Proekt carried out the preparatory stage for the normal operation of construction departments. Temporary comfortable housing was prepared for workers and engineering staff (two residential camps are now functioning). Meals are provided in the canteens, a bathhouse and laundries with dryers (an important point in the Kuril Islands with their unstable and dank weather). The necessary contingent of qualified specialists was delivered, mainly from the mainland, and placed: from drivers to carpenters and concrete workers. We delivered building materials, fuels and lubricants and the necessary new construction equipment: truck cranes, excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, etc. And the construction process began - both in the village of Goryachiye Klyuchi and in Burevestnik.

Excavation pits appeared and the foundations of buildings began to be built. But then, for some time, there was a pause in construction work due to the fact that the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to increase the number of construction projects in all areas of the military-social infrastructure in the Kuril Islands. And this led to the need to expand the built-up areas and, accordingly, carry out additional surveys and design work.

Construction has resumed today. A residential complex of two-story buildings continues to be built in Goryachiye Klyuchi. At the first stage, six such buildings should be built. The basis for them is steel frames sheathed with lightweight hinged panels. Such structures are safe during earthquakes: they are designed to withstand tremors of up to nine points or more. In parallel, all engineering networks are connected to them: electrical, thermal, water supply and drainage.

It is planned to begin construction of a leisure and sports center in the near future; next in line is a hospital with 100 beds (recruitment of medical and nursing staff is already underway), a school and a kindergarten. Open sports grounds will also be created. That is, everything will be done to ensure that military personnel and their families, as well as civilian service personnel, do not feel cut off from the mainland. One thing will be required of them - to serve and work more effectively than in the past. To intensify construction work in the future, another camp for 150 people should be installed (more than 300 people are currently working) and the number of construction equipment should be added in anticipation of the warm season that is already beginning. But in order to accommodate the above objects, that is, to prepare construction sites for them, according to the construction management, it is necessary to demolish a number of existing old buildings and relocate utility networks.

In addition to social facilities, active construction of military training camps, parks for military equipment, storage facilities and warehouses for various purposes is underway. It is planned that some objects will be presented for acceptance by the state commission by the summer of this year.

It should be noted that more than 30 years have passed since the Soviet period of construction of military camps on the Kuril Islands. People with such experience have been out of work for a long time, and a new generation of military builders is only gaining experience in conducting construction work in a distant region with its own special climatic conditions. Of course, no one is happy about delays in the supply of building materials. It is the delivery of materials that accounts for a significant share of construction costs. Most of them are absent on the island, and those that are available on Iturup, for example, inert materials, according to laboratory findings of Spetsstroy of Russia, are not suitable for use everywhere due to their insufficient strength and frost resistance. Local materials can be used for backfilling, for some types of bases, for example, road ones. They cannot be used in the manufacture of critical structures, so military builders are forced to import the same crushed stone from overseas, from Vladivostok. It is clear that such logistics are very expensive, although the material itself is quite inexpensive.

The bulk of construction materials arrives on the island through the port terminal "Kurilsk", which allows JSC "Gidrostroy", which services it, to earn decent money from unloading ships. The port's cargo turnover in 2015 amounted to about 70 thousand tons, of which construction materials for military builders accounted for approximately 45-50 percent. A number of island entrepreneurs who have their own freight vehicles also make money by transporting cargo from the port to Goryachiye Klyuchi and Burevestnik (not the shortest shoulder by local standards). Of course, this is good for everyone involved in the delivery of materials. However, this situation does not suit the construction organizers much, and it is clear for what reasons. Let me remind you that during the years of the USSR, cargo ships were unloaded almost next to construction sites in Kasatka Bay; temporary mooring structures were used, which, by the way, coped well with the assigned tasks. Today we are talking about the need to build a capital deep-water berth similar to the one at the port of Kurilsk (after all, cargo needs to be delivered not only for construction, but also for the regular supply of troops), and such a decision, according to our information, has already been made. In a good way, such a pier was needed “yesterday,” but better late than never.

Builders were faced with the age-old Kuril problem - sending people on vacation when changing shifts and going on vacation. As always, there are difficulties in purchasing tickets in both directions, both for air transport and for sea transport. The management is trying to get around them, at least by organizing expensive charter flights, but this is not always possible, since everyone knows the situation with the availability of free “boards” at Aurora Airlines.

It must be said that due to the reduction in the winter of 2015-2016. construction work in Kurilsk and Reidovo, some people with construction specialties went to work at Spetsstroy of Russia in Goryachye Klyuchi. Of course, its personnel service does not hire everyone, but makes a selection, but there is an opportunity for employment for local people. Information about vacancies is submitted to the Kuril Employment Center.

Significant for the island budget is the fact that Spetsstroy of Russia has established its Iturup construction divisions (Main Department No. 2 and Spetsstroy-Service) in the Kuril region. This means that income taxes of individuals working in these organizations will go to the district.

We would like to add that Spetsstroy of Russia is carrying out almost the same amount of construction on the neighboring island of Kunashir.