Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Ruslan Tsalikov / Photo: function.mil.ru
Yesterday, Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov and Director of Spetsstroy Alexander Volosov checked the construction of infrastructure facilities for military camps on the Iturup and Kunashir islands of the Kuril chain.
During the working trip, R. Tsalikov and A. Volosov inspected the construction sites of the infrastructure facilities of the machine gun and artillery division stationed on the southern islands of the Kuril ridge.
“During the construction of new military camps, technological solutions are used that take into account the climatic and seismic features of the region of deployment”
The construction of military and social facilities on the islands of the Kuril chain has not been carried out since the late 1960s. At present, Spetsstroy of Russia in Kunashir and Iturup has launched a large-scale construction of two base military camps according to standard designs. Under the terms of state contracts, a phased construction of residential and barracks zones, a utility and warehouse zone and sectors of club and sports facilities is envisaged.
Next year, builders will have to complete reconstruction and new construction of more than 220 facilities, including more than 40 residential buildings and dormitories, 2 schools, 2 kindergartens, 2 universal sports complexes with a swimming pool, ice rinks, canteens, hospitals and clinics, shops, cafes, as well as combat training facilities and supporting infrastructure.
The commissioning of infrastructure facilities for military camps will be carried out in stages, as the launch complexes are ready. During the construction of new military camps, technological solutions are used that take into account the climatic and seismic features of the region of deployment.
Following the results of the trip, R. Tsalikov instructed to increase the pace of construction work and optimize the processes associated with the passage of state examinations. He recalled that the construction of military infrastructure facilities on the Kuril Islands is monitored weekly by the leadership of the military department during thematic conference calls at the National Defense Control Center.
Construction of military facilities / Photo: function.mil.ru
reference Information
Currently, more than 250 complex facilities are being built and reconstructed on the territory of the Central and Eastern Military Districts, including housing construction for 16.8 thousand apartments in Syzran, Vilyuchinsk, Engels, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude and other cities.
In addition, in accordance with the plans for the development of the Armed Forces, more than 20 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are equipping the existing and building a new infrastructure for quartering troops, and active construction is underway in the Arctic zone.
The construction and arrangement of military camps is carried out according to standard projects using the technology of prefabricated steel structures and mobile shelters.
MOSCOW, Press Service and Information Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
2
At the end of March, it was announced that in the near future a basing point for ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet could appear on the islands of the Greater Kuril Range disputed by Japan. Earlier, there were statements about a serious strengthening of the Eastern Military District and garrisons on the disputed islands. Our Version figured out why, with the growing military threat on the western borders, there is a significant strengthening of the Russian military group in the Far East.
According to Sergei Shoigu, already in April the Navy will conduct a three-month expedition to the islands of the Greater Kuril ridge, the purpose of which will be to study the possibilities for creating a new Pacific Fleet base in the Kuriles. According to the Minister of Defense, the islands have an important military-strategic location for ensuring the territorial integrity and national security of Russia, which is why the deployment of bases here "will help the country to more effectively solve these problems." Earlier, the Ministry of Defense emphasized that a planned rearmament of the forces stationed in the Kuril Islands is being carried out. In 2016, it is planned to transfer powerful and modern weapons to the region, including the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, as well as new generation drones.
At the same time, the Russian leadership understands that such activity will complicate relations with Japan. It is no coincidence that Viktor Ozerov, a former military man and now head of the Federation Council committee on defense and security, has already urged Tokyo not to consider the possible deployment of Russian warships in the Kuril Islands as a threat. However, he noted at the same time that the number of ships of the Pacific Navy that can be deployed in the Kuril Islands will depend on the quality of relations with Japan and other states of the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan already today can return the Kuriles by force
The dispute between Russia and Japan over the "northern territories", as the South Kuriles are called in Japan, has been going on for more than 60 years, and so far no compromise has been reached through diplomacy. Therefore, in response to Shoigu's statements in Japan, they immediately stated that the strengthening of the military infrastructure in the disputed territories was of concern to them. The main reason is that the Kuril Islands are of great economic and military-strategic importance for the entire region. And above all for Russia: the deep-water strait between the islands of Kunashir and Iturup, which does not freeze in winter, is the only way out to the ocean for the Pacific Fleet. That is why the question of the return of the islands to Japan, in principle, can hardly be resolved positively.
Today, none of the parties intends to concede, it seems that political methods have been exhausted, but no one believes in the prospect of a fourth war between Japan and Russia. Although, as recent events show, the situation in the world can change dramatically in a matter of weeks. So the military potentials of countries can play an important role in this dispute. And here, unfortunately, much is not in favor of Russia. According to experts, too few forces are concentrated in the east, while the units are scattered at a great distance from each other. Another problem for the Eastern Military District, which ensures the security of the Kuril ridge, is its remoteness, which does not allow to increase the grouping of troops in a short time. Therefore, experts believe that, theoretically, Japan is already today capable of carrying out a lightning war by quickly landing on the Kuriles, capturing harbors and anchorages, and covering all this from the sea and from the air. That is why Russia's attention to the military component of the Kuril Islands is so great. Moreover, it arose against the background of the strengthening of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. So, in mid-July, amendments to the law were adopted in the Land of the Rising Sun, which allow the use of the Japanese army to help protect their allies outside the country. The amendments also expanded the ability of Japanese forces to conduct peacekeeping operations abroad.
In addition, in recent years, the Japanese have significantly strengthened their armed forces. Today, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is one of the most powerful in the Asia-Pacific region and is more than 2 times superior to the Russian Pacific Fleet. In total, the Japanese Navy has more than 250 modern warships and auxiliary vessels and boats, including one light aircraft carrier and four destroyer-helicopter carriers. Most destroyers are equipped with anti-submarine helicopters and anti-ship missile systems with American Harpoon missiles. Landing ships are represented by pennants of the Osumi type, tank landing ships Miura, Atsumi, small landing ships of the Yura and Yusotei types. With them, the Japanese at a time are able to transfer up to one brigade of ground forces. There is even a light Hyuuga-class aircraft carrier.
There are 20 diesel submarines in service: 7 of the Harusio type, armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles (ASMs). Submarines "Oyashio" are silent, with a 20-knot underwater course, capable of firing from six bow torpedo tubes (533-mm) torpedoes or missiles "Sub-Harpoon". There are two boats of the Soryu type - with an increased diving range.
Alexander Khramchikhin, head of the analytical department of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis:
- The re-equipment of the Eastern Military District and the division on the Kuril Islands, of course, is taking place as part of the planned re-equipment of the Russian Armed Forces, this has been talked about for a long time. Apparently, within the framework of this, the Kuril group will be re-equipped, perhaps special attention will be paid to it. The reason for this re-equipment is obvious - these islands are disputed by Japan, while they are very isolated for geographical reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to have a grouping there that is capable of fully autonomously repelling an enemy attack for some time.
The Pacific Fleet is recovering, but slowly
At the same time, the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, battered by the post-Soviet timelessness, is not recovering as rapidly as we would like. Today, about a hundred ships remain of its former power, and a third of them are under repair, reserve or conservation. At the same time, the Pacific Fleet is divided into two groups, which are based in Kamchatka and in Primorye. The part remaining in Primorye, in fact, has turned into a small flotilla of diverse forces, where the main combat power is the Varyag missile cruiser, which has crossed the 20-year mark.
Submarines are stationed in Kamchatka. The 16th squadron of submarines is armed with Project 949A Antey submarine cruisers of the same type as the Kursk, Shchuka-B nuclear torpedo boats (Project 971), diesel-electric Varshavyanka and 667BDR strategic boats.
The Kuriles are directly defended by the 18th machine gun and artillery division of 3.5 thousand people. The 46th machine gun artillery regiment is located in Kunashir, the 484 machine gun artillery regiment is located in Iturup. At the same time, the division is extremely poorly connected with the mainland, especially in winter. This means that the garrison is highly dependent on the weather, the delivery of ammunition, food and medicine from the mainland will be difficult. All weapons and equipment of the regiment are obsolete, according to various estimates, up to 80% of equipment and weapons require overhaul or should be decommissioned. Only last year there were reports that the division received T-80 tanks, this, of course, is not the most modern weaponry, but if we recall that earlier IS-2, IS-3 and T tanks dug into the ground were used to create strongholds -34, then this is a serious progress.
According to some information, last year the Bal coastal anti-ship missile system, adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2008, was deployed to the disputed islands. It is designed to control territorial waters and strait zones, protect naval bases, other coastal facilities and coastal infrastructure. It is also reported that at the moment there is a modern air defense system in the Kuril Islands - the Tor and Buk complexes are on constant combat duty. There have been repeated statements that the Ministry of Defense is considering the option of deploying modern S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in the Kuril Islands, but so far this is in the plans.
However, it looks like they will now be accelerated. Recently, the creation of a modern infrastructure has been announced. The construction of military camps and the re-equipment of units based there has begun in the Kuril Islands - by the end of 2016, 392 objects of various purposes will be built in Iturup and Kunashir. Thus, the Ministry of Defense is preparing to seriously strengthen the “eastern front” of the country, on which, in the event of an armed conflict, there may be much more problems than on the western one.
The Russian authorities intend to allocate an additional 16 billion rubles for the development of the Kuril Islands.
This was announced by the Governor of the Sakhalin Region Alexander Khoroshavin after a workshop held in Kurilsk with the participation of members of the Government of the Russian Federation, dedicated to the implementation FTP "Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2007-2015".
13 billion rubles of this amount is planned to be allocated from the federal budget, the remaining 3 billion rubles - from the local. The Sakhalin Region also plans to attract funds from private investors for the development of the Kuriles. According to Khoroshavin, they will be interested in the development of such industries as marine bioresources and tourism.
The volume of the Federal Target Program for the development of the Kuriles, which is valid until 2015, is 15 billion rubles (investments from the federal budget).
The main directions of the program are the development of transport infrastructure, the social sphere and energy.
details about the new infrastructure of the Kuril Islands (many photos)
Kurile Islands- include 30 large and many small islands.
The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan.
The population of the Kuril Islands - 18,735 people
Kunashir island- the southernmost island of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Population - about 8000 people.
Yuzhno-Kurilsk- the administrative center of the South Kuril district.
The Friendship Center was built to receive delegations
Free social housing
House of Culture
(medical and educational expedition "Frontiers of Russia", August 2010)
Opening of a new kindergarten
Governor of the Sakhalin Region Alexander Khoroshavin (right)
Port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk
New deep water jetty
The commissioning of modern deep-sea berthing complexes in Kunashir and Iturup will bring the transport infrastructure in the Kuriles to a qualitatively new level and improve the quality of life on the islands.
Motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" moored for the first time at a new berth
(February 2011)
Airport "Mendeleevo"
The airfield was built by the Japanese when the island of Kunashir was still under the control of Japan and since then it has not been practically rebuilt.
In 2006, it was closed due to the complete deterioration of the infrastructure and the destruction of the runway.
During the reconstruction, within the framework of the Federal Target Program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands, a new passenger terminal, taxiways, a new apron, a runway (RWY), a landing system and lighting equipment were put into operation.
The island operates Mendeleevskaya GeoTPP(geothermal power plant), which provides the island with heat and electricity.
The energy of a volcano as a source of heat and light for a person is the principle of operation of this station.
Commissioning in 2007 of the second phase of the station provided 100% of the heat demand of Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
By 2011, it is planned to modernize and introduce additional capacities, as a result of which the total capacity of the facility will almost triple - from 1.8 MW to 5 MW.
Iturup Island-island of the southern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago.
Population - 6387 people.
Kurilsk
Bay Kitovaya
In 2006, a modern fish processing complex "Reidovo" was launched on the island..
Six air-freezing chambers ensure the release of 74 tons of finished frozen fish products per day.
On about. Iturup also has a fish processing plant "Yasny", equipped with a one-of-a-kind freezer tunnel for air freezing of fish, which allows you to continuously freeze 210 tons of finished fish products per day.
There is a caviar shop, where 3 tons of caviar are produced per day. In addition, a salting shop with a capacity of 25 tons per day and a refrigerator with a capacity of 2300 tons of one-time storage.
The buildings of the Kuril secondary school for 250 students have already been built on the island, as well as a modern central district hospital with 50 beds with a polyclinic for 100 visits per shift.
New hospital
sports complex
landscaping in the city center
Governor's business trip
On Iturup, the construction of the airport continues, which will be equipped with the latest technology. New air gate are located on the sunny side of the island, which will allow you to easily get to Iturup even in bad weather. The extended 2.2 km long runway will accommodate all types of aircraft operating in the region.
Shikotan island- the largest island of the Lesser Ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Malokurilskoe is the administrative center of the island.
Population - about 2100 people.
Development of berthing infrastructure on Shikotan Island
The fish processing complex "Krabozavodsk" is equipped with the most modern equipment.
The capacity of the workshop allows to receive and process up to 300 tons of raw fish daily.
New kindergarten for 70 places (2010)
New School (2006)
Fuel supply systems are being built on all the islands - Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan
Paramushir island- one of the islands of the Northern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands.
Population - about 2500 people.
Severo-Kurilsk- the administrative center and the only settlement of the island.
The fishing port and the fish processing plant are the main industries in Severo-Kurilsk.
In 1952, the city was almost destroyed by the tsunami, but after that it was restored and exists to this day.
Monument to those killed in 1945
Fisherman's Day is one of the main holidays on the Kuril Islands
Transportation of goods and passengers to the islands is carried out by motor ships "Igor Farkhutdinov" and "Marina Tsvetaeva".
Construction plans for 2011
In 2011, a kindergarten for 40 places will be put into operation in the village of Reidovo on about. Iturup, completed the construction of a mooring complex in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The construction of the building of the sea station will continue, in a single three-story complex of the sea station with an area of more than 885 square meters. m will accommodate all services working with both domestic and international flights.
Also, the object “Construction and reconstruction of fuel supply systems on the island” will be commissioned. Shikotan" in the village of Malokurilskoe.
This year will be built: a 6-apartment house in the village of Krabozavodskoye on Shikotan, a 10-apartment house and four 8-apartment houses in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, two 8-apartment houses on Iturup.
This year, a modular diesel generator power plant will be completed and launched on the street. Nagornoy in the village of Malokurilskoe.
And within the framework of the regional fire safety program, a fire station is expected to be commissioned in Yuzhno-Kurilsk.
P.S. Of course, not everything is as rosy and positive on the Kuril Islands as it looks in these photographs. I have collected here only new or renovated objects. In addition to large settlements, by the standards of the Kuril Islands, there are also very small settlements, where, nevertheless, people also live.
But since the program for the development of the islands was adopted until 2015 and the positive trend is obvious, that is, there is every reason to believe that in all settlements all 4 inhabited Kuril Islands will have decent living conditions.
The scope of the current until 2015 FTP "Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2007-2015" is 21 billion rubles.
The bulk of this amount is allocated from the federal budget. The Sakhalin Region also plans to attract funds from private investors for the development of the Kuriles. Private investments in the economy of the islands now amount to a billion rubles a year, and by 2015 they will increase to 6 billion. details about the new infrastructure of the Kuril Islands (many photos) The Kuril Islands include 30 large and many small islands. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. The population of the Kuril Islands 18,735 people Kunashir island- the southernmost island of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands. The population is about 8000 people. Yuzhno-Kurilsk- the administrative center of the South Kuril district. 
social housing 
In August 2012, a ceremony was held in Yuzhno-Kurilsk to hand over warrants and keys to new apartments. The 10-apartment building was built with funds from the regional and local budgets under one of the regional programs. 
House of Culture (medical and educational expedition "Frontiers of Russia", August 2010) 
New Kindergarten Port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk New Deep-Water Berth 
The commissioning of modern deep-sea berthing complexes in Kunashir and Iturup will bring the transport infrastructure in the Kuriles to a qualitatively new level and improve the quality of life on the islands. Motor ship "Igor Farkhutdinov" moored for the first time at the new berth (February 2011) 
The federal program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands and the budget of the Sakhalin Region finance sea station on the territory of the constructed berthing complex in the South Kuril Bay. In this building, in addition to passengers, various services will be located - a border checkpoint, a customs post, port supervision, the administration and control room of the seaport. Completion of construction is planned for 2012. 
Mendeleevo Airport The airport was built by the Japanese when the island of Kunashir was still under the control of Japan and since then it has not been practically rebuilt. In 2006, it was closed due to the complete deterioration of the infrastructure and the destruction of the runway. During the reconstruction, within the framework of the Federal Target Program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands, a new passenger terminal, taxiways, a new apron, a runway (RWY), a landing system and lighting equipment were put into operation. The island operates Mendeleevskaya GeoTPP(geothermal power plant), which provides the island with heat and electricity. The energy of a volcano as a source of heat and light for a person is the principle of operation of this station. Commissioning in 2007 of the second stage of the station provided 100% of the heat demand in Yuzhno-Kurilsk. The planned modernization of the Mendeleevskaya GeoTPP will increase its capacity from 3.6 MW to 7.4 MW. 
On about. Kunashir has two fish processing plants - LLC PKF "South Kuril Fish Processing Plant" and LLC "Delta". of 25 people successfully copes with large volumes of incoming raw materials.In 2011, the first kilometers of asphalt were laid on Kunashir Island. 
Iturup Island-island of the southern group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands, the largest island of the archipelago. Population - 6387 people. Kurilsk is the administrative center of the island. In the village of Kurilsk, a modern microdistrict "Severny" has been built in recent years. Within its boundaries, it is planned to build a large palace of culture and sports, under the roof of which there will be a sports complex, a swimming pool, a house of culture and other institutions. In 2006, a modern fish processing complex "Reidovo" was launched on the island.. 
Six air-freezing chambers ensure the release of 74 tons of finished frozen fish products per day. 
On about. Iturup also has a fish processing plant "Yasny", equipped with a one-of-a-kind freezer tunnel for air freezing of fish, which allows you to continuously freeze 210 tons of finished fish products per day. There is a caviar shop, where 3 tons of caviar are produced per day. In addition, a salting shop with a capacity of 25 tons per day and a refrigerator with a capacity of 2300 tons of one-time storage. There are several more fishing enterprises, the largest of which are Skit, Bug, and Continent. The buildings of the Kuril secondary school for 250 students have already been built on the island, as well as a modern central district hospital with 50 beds with a polyclinic for 100 visits per shift. New hospital 
sports complex 
landscaping work 
In February 2012, two 8-apartment buildings were commissioned 
The new Iturup airport is located on the sunny side of the island, which will allow you to easily get to the island even in bad weather. The extended 2.2 km long runway will accommodate all types of aircraft operating in the region. There is a geothermal spring with radon waters near Kurilsk. 
A few years ago, the springs consisted of two concrete vats for salting fish, in which vacationers took baths, not forgetting to dot the neighborhood with broken bottle glass. Improved geothermal springs by Gidrostoroy company 
Shikotan island- the largest island of the Lesser Ridge of the Kuril Islands. Malokurilskoe is the administrative center of the island. The population is about 2100 people. A deep-water pier has already been built and operated at the funds of the federal program in the Malokurilskaya Bay on Shikotan, and in the neighboring Krabozavodskaya Bay on the same Shikotan, the construction of a berth is nearing completion on the terms of co-financing - the own funds of CJSC Gidrostroy and the regional budget. 
Fish processing complex "Krabozavodsk" is equipped with the most modern equipment. 
the capacity of the workshop allows to receive and process up to 300 tons of raw fish daily. 
New kindergarten for 70 places (2010)
Image copyright AFP
Image caption In 2010, the then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev visited the KurilesFrants Klintsevich, Deputy Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council, announced the construction of a naval base in the Kuriles. This is not the first mention of a military facility on the islands, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about this earlier, but for the first time this project was talked about in the present tense.
"The decision has been made. It is under implementation," Klintsevich said, without specifying exactly where the military facility would be located.
Perhaps he had in mind the island of Matua - a small piece of land in the center of the Kuril chain. In 2016, Defense Minister Shoigu said that Russia intended not only to restore, but also to actively exploit this island.
By that time, a large expedition of the Russian Geographical Society and the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) had already visited the island. The second expedition began in the summer of 2017 and continues to this day.
- Russian senator: the decision on the naval base in the Kuril Islands has been made
- Will Putin agree to the return of the Kuril Islands to Japan?
- Japan regrets the deployment of Russian missiles in the Kuriles
"Specialists conducted more than 1,000 laboratory studies on physical, chemical and biological indicators, made more than 200 measurements of the relief and the external environment. Radiation and chemical reconnaissance was also carried out, the fortifications of the island and more than 100 historical objects were examined. Divers carried out work on a hydrographic study of bays and bays of the island of Matua," the RGS website says.
Image copyright Google
Image caption Perhaps the naval base will be located on the island of MatuaThe reports of the expeditions talk a lot about the study of marine invertebrates and algae, the study of the activity of the Sarychev Peak volcano, but if the Ministry of Defense is really going to build a base on this island, then hydrographic studies of the relief of the seabed and the study of the remains of Japanese military installations are most likely especially important for it. .
The new base will be able to receive any ships, including the first rank, Klintsevich said on Thursday, without specifying which ships will be based at this facility.
The ships of the first rank include aircraft carriers, destroyers, missile and anti-submarine cruisers, and nuclear submarines. For such deep draft boats, it is really necessary to carefully prepare the seabed.
The ownership of some of the Kuril Islands by Russia is disputed by Japan. They went to the Soviet Union at the very end of World War II, when Soviet amphibious assaults landed on the islands. The ownership of some of the islands was not secured by international treaties.
Japan claims the Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan islands of the Kuril ridge and a group of small Habomai islands, referring to the Shimonoseki Treaty of 1855. The island of Matua, which Shoigu spoke about, does not belong to the disputable group - it is located in another part of the ridge, in its central region.
Russia insists that the islands belong to it, referring to the inadmissibility of revising the results of World War II.
Island as base
The Kuril Islands are located in a strategically important area: they separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean, as if blocking access to it from the southern coast of the Russian Far East.
During the Second World War, a powerful system of fortifications, airfields, and naval bases was built on the islands. One of the objects was located just on Matua - there are still coastal concrete fortifications on the island, the remains of an airfield, warehouses, shelters.
Image copyright Google
Image caption There are traces of Japanese field fortifications on Matua.In Soviet times and until 2001, there was a frontier post on the island, but in recent years the island has remained uninhabited.
At present, the 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division (the only such unit in the Russian army) is deployed on the Kuril Islands with reinforcement units on Iturup and Kunashir. Recently, coastal missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion", as well as anti-aircraft systems "Buk" were placed on the islands. The Bastion complex was located on the island of Iturup, and the Bal complex was located on Kunashir.
Matua is not the most comfortable place to live and even to build military base. Strong winds blow on the island, there are no large convenient bays on the coast. Finally, the entire northern part of the small island is a volcano that last erupted quite recently - in 2009.
The island is located at a great distance from supply bases, and communication with it, especially during the winter months, is difficult due to the fact that the Sea of Okhotsk freezes in this place.
Image copyright NASA
Image caption Eruption of the Sarychev Peak volcano on the island of Matua in 2009In any case, building a large base on it will be extremely costly.
However, Russia seems ready to spend. On the one hand, the Kremlin has long sought to expand its military presence in the oceans. And the Pacific region, which has attracted more and more attention in recent years, is extremely important for Russia.
For example, one of the two landing helicopter carriers that Russia intended to purchase from France was to be based in the Pacific Fleet.
"When I served in the Far East, the issue of deploying a ship formation of the Pacific Fleet in the Kuril Islands was considered. It is advantageous to create a base on the islands for the sole reason - direct access to the ocean. Of the places that were identified as suitable for it by geometry, the difficulties were as follows. First - difficult ice conditions in winter. The second is the ebb and flow of about six meters. The third is strong winds," Admiral Vladimir Valuev, former commander of the Baltic Fleet, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
In the days of the USSR, which had a larger Pacific Fleet than Russia now, a large military base was never built on the Kuril Islands.
Russia's second goal is to gain a foothold on the Kuril Islands themselves. The unresolved issue with the Kuril Islands hinders the development of relations between the two countries, each time Moscow and Tokyo raise it and obviously greatly unnerves both sides.
What base can Russia afford?
Speaking about the scale of the future facility, Senator Franz Klintsevich said that the new base will be able to receive any ships, including the first rank.
At the same time, Klintsevich used the word "base", that is, he meant a rather large object, which should include not only berths, but also infrastructure for the maintenance of ships, ideally a dock and a shipyard, barracks for crew accommodation and base personnel, air defense units and the airfield.
And all this - on an island with an area of 52 square kilometers, a significant part of which is occupied by a volcano.
Vasily Kashin, a senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, told the BBC that as a result, only a small ship logistics center could appear on Matua, in Syria, and Russia would invest money in the already existing bases of the Pacific fleet.
There are five of them in the Far East - in Vladivostok, Fokino, Vilyuchinsk (nuclear submarines are based there), Sovetskaya Gavan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
“Maybe it will be a harbor where there will be several piers, again we don’t know how many; there will be an icebreaker and a couple of tugboats, and some small forces will be constantly deployed,” he said.
At the same time, Kashin noted that even if, for example, a large anti-submarine ship (of the first rank) can approach the island, it remains to be seen how many such ships can be serviced there at the same time and how much service they can receive there.
