Russia to speed up military facility construction on Kurils

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the speeding up of the construction military facilities on the Kuril Islands, Sputnik News reported on Monday. He also stressed on the need to quickly develop Russian military infrastructure in the Arctic, according to the report.

Under the federal action program, Russia plans to spend a total of some $1.2 billion on the development of the Kuril Islands, according to the report.

Russia’s Federal Agency for Special Construction said that the construction of military garrisons kicked off on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir.

The Southern Kuril Islands are claimed by Japan, which refers to them as the Northern Territories. The dispute over the sovereignty of the islands keeps Russia and Japan from signing a World War 2 peace treaty.

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