Russia's defense ministry said it had deployed mobile coastal missile systems to a northern island in the Kuril archipelago, part of a strategically located island chain that stretches between Japan and Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, Reuters reported.

Japan lays claim to the Russian-controlled southern Kuril Islands, which Tokyo calls the Northern Territories. This territorial dispute dates back to the period at the end of the Second World War, when Soviet troops took them from Japan, BTA recalls.

Russia's Bastion coastal missile systems, which launch missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometers, were located on the island of Paramushir in the northern part of the Kuril archipelago, the Russian military said yesterday.

Coastal servicemen from the Pacific Fleet will monitor the adjacent water area and strait areas around the clock, the ministry said in a statement.

It is also reported that a military camp has been built at Paramushir with conditions allowing year-round service, accommodation, recreation and food for personnel.

This missile deployment comes a year after Russia deployed Bastion systems on Matua Island, in the central part of the Kuril chain, the ministry in Moscow said.

Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook

Write to us at editors@novinite.com

Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg

/BNR

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!