Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time. Japan expressed a strong protest
The Russian president visited the Kuril island of Iturup.
Photo: kremlin.ru
He visited the "Yasny" fish processing plant, the Kuril Central District Hospital, the school named after Hero of Russia Narpalov, and met with the governor of the Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko, writes "Meduza".
He told Putin that at meetings with residents, even in the most remote places, "the population says - everything for victory." "Such are our people. The genetic code of a winner," the president replied.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan expressed a "strong protest" in connection with Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands. Tokyo does not recognize Russia's sovereignty over the Kuril Islands.
Earlier, speaking at the Pacific Fleet exercises, Putin stated that Russia had constructive relations with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other Japanese leaders on the issue of resolving the Kuril Islands problem, but now Tokyo has changed its position.