MOSCOW, Dec 2 - RIA Novosti. The deployment of Russian Bastion coastal missile systems on the Kuril Islands will make power pressure from Tokyo meaningless, military expert, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told RIA Novosti.
As the press service of the Eastern Military District reported earlier, the calculations of the Bastion coastal missile system of the Pacific Fleet took up duty on the Kuril island of Matua for the first time.
"The deployment of Bastion coastal missile systems on the Kuril Islands is an important step in ensuring Russia's military security on its eastern borders and strengthening its capabilities to fend off any possible threats. Given that Japan has not renounced its territorial claims to the Russian Federation, it is obvious that this step by the Russian military leadership makes any attempts by Tokyo to put pressure on Russia pointless," Korotchenko said.
He added that the "Bastions" on the Kuril Islands will ensure the stability of the operations of the Russian Pacific Fleet in its areas of responsibility, and in general this step will have a positive impact on security in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the military expert, the transfer of the "Bastions" to the Kuriles was carried out as part of planned measures to build up the Russian military group on the islands of the ridge "in accordance with the tasks that this group will have to solve."
Matua is an island of the middle group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands. Administratively it is part of the North Kuril City District of the Sakhalin region. It had a strategically important role during the Second World War, being one of the largest Japanese naval bases. The area of the island is 52 square kilometers.
The Bastion coastal missile system is designed to destroy surface ships of various classes and types from amphibious formations, convoys, ship and aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as single ships in conditions of intense fire and electronic countermeasures. In addition, the complex can strike ground targets. The firing range of the Bastion for sea targets is 350 km, for coastal targets - 450 km.
