Moscow. September 8. INTERFAX-AVN-More than 500 Russian servicemen, tanks and artillery are involved in the exercise, which began on the Kuril Islands, the Eastern Military District (VVO) said on Wednesday.
"In total, more than 500 servicemen of the Army Corps of the Air Force were involved in the tactical exercise on anti-amphibious defense and about 50 units of combat and special equipment were involved", -
According to the military, during the exercise, drones will conduct reconnaissance of the area, calculations of self-propelled artillery installations (ACS) will deliver concentrated strikes on surface targets that simulate small landing ships of a conditional enemy.
"At the final stage of the exercise, the crews of T-72B tanks and the calculations of the self-propelled gun "Hyacinth" will perform live firing at targets simulating the manpower and lightly armored equipment of the conditional enemy, " the district said.
Japan claims the four southern islands of the Kuril Ridge - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, referring to the 1855 Treatise on Trade and Borders. Moscow's position is that the Southern Kuriles became part of the USSR following the results of the Second World War and Russian sovereignty over them, which has an international legal form, is not subject to doubt.
A machine-gun and artillery division is deployed on the islands of the Kuril Ridge. In May 2017, the VVO press service reported that the division was receiving new samples of weapons and military equipment, including drones.
On August 9, 2021, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the expansion of the military infrastructure in the Kuril Islands - more than fifty objects will be built there.
In April, a representative of the VVO said that the grouping on the islands will be reinforced with modernized T-80BVM tanks.
On December 1, 2020, the Russian military reported that the S-300V4 air defense systems (Almaz-Antey concern) were put on combat duty on the islands.
S-300V4 - a complex on a tracked track. It refers to the air defense of the Ground Forces. Its tasks are: the protection of troops during defensive and offensive operations, air and missile defense of military facilities.
In April 2019, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the introduction of an air defense combat duty zone on the Kuril island of Kunashir. In August 2018, it was reported that modern multi-purpose Su-35 fighters were deployed at the Yasny Airport on the island of Iturup.
The newspaper of the Pacific Fleet "Combat Watch" in the fall of 2016 reported that Russia had deployed new coastal anti-ship missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion"on Iturup and Kunashir.
The Russian military reported on the creation of an airfield on the Kuril island of Matua, which accepts light military transport aircraft. In 2016, it was reported about plans to create a naval base on Matua.
