Russia holds military exercises near southern Kuril Islands

The exercise involved a group of Pacific Fleet surface ships, a nuclear-powered submarine and a coastal missile unit, the fleet’s press service said in a statement.

The target group was located more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the firing positions, the statement read.

“According to objective monitoring, all targets were successfully hit,” it noted.

The guided-missile cruiser Varyag carried out a practice launch of two Vulkan anti-ship missiles, while the nuclear-powered submarine Omsk conducted a salvo launch of Granit cruise missiles, it said.

A Bastion coastal missile system also launched an Oniks anti-ship missile from one of the Kuril Islands. Pacific Fleet naval aviation provided target-designation data to the command post of the task force.

The fleet said the firing area had been closed in advance to civilian shipping and aircraft.

The drills were held as part of scheduled combat-training activities, according to the Pacific Fleet.

They come amid a new diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the Kuril Islands.

Japan protested Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aug. 13 visit to Iturup, one of the four southern Kuril Islands claimed by both countries.

Tokyo considers the islands its “Northern Territories,” while Russia administers them as part of Sakhalin Region.