Mobile Coastal Defense System Deployed In Kuril Islands

The Russian Defense Ministry says it has deployed mobile coastal defense missile systems to the northern Kuril Islands, reports Reuters.

The island of Paramushir is at the northern end of the Kuril chain, which stretches between Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Tokyo claims four southern islands, which it calls the Northern Territories.

The Soviet Union seized all the Kuril Islands from Japan at the end of World War II.

Bastion missile systems, with a range of up to 310 miles (500 km), were deployed to Paramushir, the ministry said on Monday. A military camp was set up on the island, enabling year-round accommodation for personnel.

The system would provide “a round-the-clock watch to control the adjacent water area and strait zones," said the ministry.