Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a doctrine on Sunday committing the Russian Navy to “vigorously” defend the waters around the Kuril Islands, which are claimed by Japan.
On the occasion of Russia’s Navy Day, Putin addressed 3,500 troops gathered in Saint Petersburg and Kronstadt for Russia’s main naval parade. Forty ships of various sizes, along with 42 aircraft, took part in the parade, according to the Kremlin. In his speech, Putin informed the troops about the new naval doctrine he had signed earlier in the day laying out a variety of technological and strategic goals for the Russian navy.
“We set the boundaries and areas of Russia’s national interests — economic, vital and strategic — clearly and transparently. First and foremost, these are our waters of the Arctic, the Black Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Baltic and Kuril Straits. We will ensure their protection rigorously and using all available tools,” Putin said.
JAPAN FEARS CHINA SEES RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE AS MODEL FOR ASIA DOMINANCE
His remarks about protecting the Kuril Straits are sure to raise the concerns of Japanese officials, who claim sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The archipelago has been under Russian control since it was seized by the Soviet Union in the closing days of World War II. Due to disagreements over control of the islands, Japan and Russia have never signed a peace deal to end the war formally.
Despite a gradual warming of relations with Japan since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s war in Ukraine has resulted in a drastic reversal in relations between the two. Russia’s Foreign Ministry terminated decadeslong peace treaty talks in March after Japan imposed sanctions against Moscow, then banned Japanese citizens from traveling to the islands visa-free, according to TASS. Russian official Dmitry Rogozin proposed in May to rename the islands after Russian figures and events surrounding the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, according to Reuters.
In April, Japan began upping its rhetoric regarding the islands by calling Russia’s occupation “illegal.” On Friday, Russia conducted drills in the Kuril Islands, leading to further protests from Japan. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded by saying that the islands are an “integral part of Russia” and that their status is out of the question.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Putin’s new naval doctrine carries many different stipulations, including the designation of the United States and NATO as the biggest threat to Russia’s security. It calls for the drastic expansion of the Russian Navy in the far east, including the development of a “modern, hi-tech shipbuilding industry in the Far East designed for building large-tonnage vessels (in particular, for the Arctic’s development) and advanced aircraft carriers for the Navy.”
