The creation of a new military base on the Kuril Islands was the culmination of many years of efforts to strengthen the defense of the Far East. In a matter of months, the infrastructure for mobile anti-ship missile systems was built on the long-uninhabited island of Matua.… As noted by Izvestia sources in the military department, the introduction of the Russian Far Eastern security perimeter is now nearing completion. Experts point out that now The Kuril island chain will serve as a reliable defense system for submarines based in Kamchatka, as well as provide trade and economic ties in the Far East… Izvestia figured out how the protection system will now work in the world.

Security perimeter

Russia is completing the formation of an external protective perimeter in the Far East region, the military department told Izvestia… It makes it possible to create a security zone from the Chukchi Sea to the Sea of ​​Japan and to ensure not only the deployment of submarines and warships, but also economic interests in the Far East.

The Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday, December 2, released video footage from a new base on one of the Kuril Islands… A modular town has been erected on Matua to house the Bastion coastal missile systems and military life.

Placed on the island the launchers carry two Onyx supersonic anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 300 km. Each of them is capable of sinking a large battleship of the first rank.… Complexes can find targets both independently, using radars, and act on external target designation.

Sergei Shoigu said that the defense of the Far Eastern borders in 2020 was strengthened by the deployment of S-300V4 anti-aircraft missile systems on the Kuril Islands, the latest S-400 on Sakhalin, and MiG-31BM fighters in Chukotka.

The new units are located along the sea route of the Northern Sea Route. In the Far East of the country, it passes by the Kuril ridge, Kamchatka and Chukotka.… They also cover the rich gas fields off Sakhalin Island. From there, it is transported in liquefied form by tankers around the world.

From a geopolitical point of view, the Kuril Islands are of great importance for Russia, ex-Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ordzhonikidze told Izvestia.…

“In case of their loss, we lose access to the open ocean in the region,” he said. – Thus, it would be possible to destroy many of our trade and economic ties, endanger the security of the entire length of the coast in the Far East, and actually lock Russia in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.… The Kurils also make it possible to cover oil and gas projects on Sakhalin and part of the Northern Sea Route, which passes there.

Relying on the Kuril Islands, even very powerful fleets can be kept at a distance from them. The Bastion missile systems are exclusively defensive weapons and their deployment.…

Kuril fortification

The Kuril Islands are important for Russia.…

“In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, there are areas of deployment and combat duty of our submarine missile carriers with intercontinental missiles,” the expert explained. – In case of aggression, they must provide a retaliatory strike against the enemy. Control over the Kuril Islands makes it possible to close the entrance to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to submarines of other countries, which ensures the safety of our nuclear submarines in it.

The 68th Army Corps is responsible for protecting Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. This year and last year, the defense department has immediately strengthened the Kuril ridge with modern weapons systems. Not only anti-ship missiles were transported to the islands, but also long-range air defense systems.

Since December 1 of last year, the S-300V4 anti-aircraft missile system from the Ground Forces of the Eastern Military District took over on combat duty in the Kuril Islands… It is capable of shooting down not only aircraft and drones, but also short-range ballistic missiles. The newest S-400 air defense system was transferred to Sakhalin.

In 2016, modern coastal missile systems appeared on the southern Kuril Islands. The Balov division was deployed on Kunashir… On Iturup, “Bastions” were on alert. New military camps for the military were also built there.

Several times Su-35S fighters were deployed to Sakhalin airfields. The presence of aviation has also been strengthened at the large airbase in Yelizovo in Kamchatka. In the near future, the submarine base on the peninsula should be replenished with two Borei-A submarines with intercontinental ballistic missiles and a pair of Yasen-M multipurpose cruise missiles.

Fortress Island

Steel new support of the Russian Navy Matua is located almost in the middle of the Kuril ridge… On a volcanic island with an area of ​​just over 50 sq. km, you can still see the numerous fortifications and trenches left after the Second World War.

Japan, which then controlled it, created a powerful military base for aircraft and ships on the island. At its peak, its garrison reached 7 thousand troops.… On Matua, about a hundred machine-gun and artillery long-term firing points, underground passages were built. Three runways allow aviation to operate in any wind direction.

At the end of August 1945, Matua was captured by the amphibious assault of Soviet troops., nearly 4 thousand Japanese soldiers were taken prisoner. After the war, a part of the USSR was located on the island for several decades. In 2000, the Ministry of Defense left there, and the island became uninhabited.…

The return took place in 2016. A joint expedition of 200 military and representatives of the Russian Geographical Society examined Matua, checked its chemical and radiation safety, found fresh water. Even then, it was not hidden that preparations were underway to create a permanent military base on it.…

The expedition was repeated the following year. The military and scientists managed to find a large number of abandoned Japanese military equipment of the Second World War, including the sunk in the bay of the Zero fighter and a transport ship.

Satellite images of the construction of the Russian base on Matua appeared in the Japanese media this year. Work on the island began in October. In early December, the first anti-ship complexes took up combat duty there. Together with the missiles already deployed in Kamchatka and the southern Kuriles, they provide a continuous control zone for the section of the Northern Sea Route passing there.…