Covering the Kuril Islands, the 18th machine-gun and artillery Division decided to equip more modern armored vehicles. More precisely, they will receive the tankers of this division.
"In order to increase the combat capabilities of the motorized rifle unit stationed on the Kuril Islands, tank units will be re-equipped with T-72B to more modern T - 80BV, "Major General Vladimir Belyavsky of the 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District said in an interview with the Red Star. Let us clarify that this corps is responsible for the defense of Sakhalin and the Kuril Ridge.
The need for re-equipment is largely dictated by the difficult climate on the islands and the peculiarities of the"eighties". The fact is that, unlike other tanks, the T-80 has a gas turbine engine. It is easy to start even in severe frosts, which seriously accelerates the machine's readiness for operation. At the same time, diesel power plants used on the same T-72 require additional heating - it takes up to 40 minutes. True, the "eighty" is sensitive to dust. But on the Kuril Islands, tankers almost do not face such a problem - the air there is clean.
Recently, the Russian Defense Ministry has significantly increased the military grouping on these islands. Exactly two years ago, an air defense combat duty zone was launched on Kunashir. This became possible after the mobile coastal radar stations for monitoring marine objects "Mys-1" and sonar systems were transferred from the mainland to the easternmost outpost of Russia. They created a continuous zone on the Kuril Islands to detect and track all surface, underwater and air targets at a range of up to 200 kilometers.
The function of covering the islands from the air was first assumed by the calculations of the Tor-M2U anti-aircraft missile systems. Then there were the S-300V4 tracked air defense systems. And in February of this year, the S-400 Triumph long-range air defense systems took up combat duty on Sakhalin.
The ground troops based on the ridge also have enough firepower. In the arsenals of the "islanders" there are multiple rocket launchers, and field guns with mortars. At the Yasny airport on the island of Iturup, modern multi-purpose Su-35 fighters are on combat duty. The General Staff also deployed the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems on Iturup and Kunashir.
This whole group is a very powerful force that can guarantee to prevent the landing of foreign troops on the Kuril Islands and disrupt the attacks of enemy ships, missiles and aircraft.
Yuri Gavrilov
