Russia continues to militarize the Kuril Islands and further aggravates relations with Japan, provoking tensions in different parts of the world. In this publication, volunteers of InformNapalm international intelligence community highlight not only this news, but also propose a variant of asymmetric deterrence action for Russia’s aggressive behavior. The article also provides facts related to the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula and the Russian aggression in the east of Ukraine.

On December 2, 2021, Bastion coastal missile system of the Russian Pacific Fleet were first deployed and put on combat duty on the island of Matua.

At the end of 2017, the Russian military also completed the construction of the airfield and announced plans to establish a naval base on Matua Island.

Interestingly, the island of Matua (jap. 松輪島) played a strategically important role during the Second World War. One of the largest Japanese naval bases was located there.

On November 22, 2016, the Boevaya Vakhta newspaper of the Pacific Navy also reported that the Val and Bastion coastal anti-ship missile systems were deployed on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir.

Japan has consistently opposed the strengthening of the Russian military presence in the region of the Kuril Islands, these territories are considered occupied by Russia.

Parallels with the occupied Crimea

In parallel with the active militarization of the Kuril Islands, Russia is also militarizing the occupied Ukrainian Crimea in 2014.

In 2016, InformNapalm international intelligence community reported that Russia has deployed Val and Bastion coastal anti-ship missiles in Crimea. During OSINT-investigations InformNapalm volunteers also collected data about the point of deployment of Bal missile systems belonging to the 15th Missile Brigade of Coastal Defense. The armament and equipment for the newly formed brigade were transferred to Crimea from Dagestan.

Important context with Russian Orlan-10 UAVs and what does Japan have to do with it

In recent years, Russia has been actively using the Orlan-10 UAVs for its military operations against Ukraine, which has been frequently reported from the combat zone in Donbas. In 2018, InformNapalm volunteers published a photo report demonstrating that this type of Russian UAV consists mainly of parts manufactured in the USA, Germany, Japan and other countries.

Although the modern kitting of the Russian Orlan-10 UAV has undergone some changes, one of the main structural elements remains the internal combustion engines coming from the Japanese manufacturer SAITO complete with the ignition module (according to InformNapalm data).

Russia actively uses Orlan-10 UAVs as part of various military systems, for example, RB-341V Leer -3. These UAVs are also part of the Russian unified tactical command and control system, which implements the concept of network-centric warfare.

Conclusion

Russia is intensifying the militarization of the occupied territories in different parts of the world. It is known that one of the methods to deter an aggressor is to impose economic sanctions, in particular an embargo on the military and dual-use products. InformNapalm volunteers believe that a ban on the sale of engines from the Japanese company Saito to Russia, which are used to equip Orlan-10 UAVs could provide an effective option for Japan’s asymmetric response to Russia’s brazen militarization of the Kuril Islands. This step would also benefit Ukraine, because it is the Russian Orlan-10 UAVs that feature almost daily in the reports from the combat zone in the Donbas. The Russian army is also actively using this UAV type in Syria.

Read more related material from InformNapalm

• Proofs of the Russian Aggression: InformNapalm releases extensive database of evidence (Updated 11/14/2021)
• Volunteers gathered evidence of 35 Russian military units taking part in the invasion of Crimea (Updated on 6/23/2021)
• Advanced Russian artillery reconnaissance system Navodchik-2 spotted in Donbas for the first time
• By end of year, Russia plans to set up twenty new military units near its western borders
• Beginning of Zapad-2021 maneuvers and the deployment of Russian Su-30SM fighters to Belarus
• Ukraine used Bayraktar TB2 strike drone in war zone for the first time (VIDEO)
• Ukrainian Bukovel-AD R4 EW-systems deployed near the border (PHOTO)

By Roman Burko specially for InformNapalm. Translated by Andrii Gryganskyi, edited by Artem Velichko. Distribution and reprint with active link to the source is welcome! (Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0)    InformNapalm social media pages: Facebook /Twitter  / Telegram

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