Military facilities on the Kuril Islands. Construction of military facilities on the islands of the Kuril chain. In the Kuril Islands - one owner

Alexey Zakvasin, Svyatoslav Petrov

In the near future, Russia will begin construction of a naval base in the Kuril Islands. This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense Franz Klintsevich. Moscow has been restoring the military infrastructure on the Kuril ridge since 2010. At the end of 2016, the “Ball” and “Bastion” complexes were located here. The strengthening of the Russian military presence in the region causes extreme concern for Japan, which lays claim to the four islands of the Kuril chain that were given to the USSR following the Second World War. Why Russia is building a naval base in the Kuril Islands and how this will affect relations between Moscow and Tokyo - in the RT material.

• Detention Bay on Matua Island
• RIA News
• Roman Denisov

Russia will create a naval base (naval base) on the Kuril Islands. According to Franz Klintsevich, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, the Russian leadership has made a fundamental decision on this matter.

"Decision is made. It is under implementation.<...>Everything is going strictly according to plan, without emergency jerks,” Klintsevich said, adding that work will begin in the near future.

The senator also clarified that as part of the construction of the naval base, the airfield network will be restored.

Window to the Pacific Ocean

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the possible location of a Pacific Fleet (PF) base in the Kuril Islands at the end of May 2016. As Colonel General Sergei Surovikin clarified, a berth for warships will be equipped on the island of Matua, which is located in the center of the Kuril ridge between the Golovin and Nadezhda straits.

Currently, the Navy infrastructure includes 23 bases and nine naval bases. Pacific Fleet Russia is located in Vladivostok, Fokino (Primorsky Territory), Bolshoy Kamen (Primorsky Territory) and Vilyuchinsk (Kamchatka).

The deployment of a naval base on Matua is intended to facilitate the entry of ships and submarines of the Pacific Fleet, including strategic ones, into the Pacific Ocean. Besides, new base will allow Russia to improve control over its eastern borders, including the sparsely populated Kuril ridge.

For the second year in a row, a joint expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society. The main goal of the research project is to determine the prospects for military exploitation of the island.

• Expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society on the island of Matua
• Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Russian Ministry of Defense has been consistently strengthening the military infrastructure of the Kuril Islands since 2010. According to the original plans, most of work should be completed in 2020. The military department is restoring positions lost after the collapse of the USSR and at the same time implementing new projects.

In the 1970s, the Soviet leadership intended to build a naval base on Simushir Island in the village of Kraterny (Broughton Bay). In particular, it was planned to place submarines, anti-submarine ships and the aircraft-carrying cruiser Minsk there. But perestroika buried this ambitious project.

Last fall, the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed the Bastion anti-ship missile system on Iturup Island, and the Bal complex on Kunashir Island.

• Coastal missile system "Bastion"
• RIA News
• Vitaly Ankov

In February 2017, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the formation of a division in the Kuril Islands should be completed by the end of the year. We are talking about the 18th machine gun and artillery division, the strength of which is estimated at 3.5 thousand people.

The unit is equipped with tanks, armored vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems, towed and mortar artillery pieces. Since 2015, the division has been on combat duty with air defense units with several Tor-M2U anti-aircraft systems.

Editor-in-Chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko believes that this moment It’s too early to talk about the timing of the creation of the naval base. However, in his opinion, the decision to build a base on Matua is justified from a strategic point of view.

“The Kuril Islands need a full-fledged military infrastructure, since we are talking about protecting the eastern borders of Russia. The basing of warships, air and anti-ship defense, a garrison within the division will be ensured - all elements of Russia’s military presence on the border of its own territory,” Korotchenko noted in an interview with RT.

Inconsistency of expectations

During World War II, the 41st Separate Mixed Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army was located on Matua. The Japanese created many engineering structures, but never entered the battle. Before surrendering, they blew up all objects that could be of value to the Soviet army.

The strengthening of the Russian military presence in the Kuril ridge has traditionally caused concern in Japan. Tokyo does not recognize Moscow's four Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group of islands), which, like Matua, were ceded to the USSR following the Second World War. Due to territorial claims, there is still no peace treaty between the two states.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly informed Tokyo that the strengthening of military infrastructure on the archipelago is planned. In February 2017, during a visit to Japan, Sergei Shoigu noted that the division in the Kuril Islands “has been created over the past six years, created not against anyone, but exclusively to protect the territory of the Russian Federation.”

In December 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The head of the Russian state called for an end to the “historical ping-pong in these territories.” The leaders agreed to restore military contacts and entered into a number of agreements in the economic sphere.

Korotchenko believes that the construction of a base on Matua is a political signal for Tokyo: Russia is demonstrating that it has every right “to build anything and anywhere on its territory.” As the expert explained, plans to build a base had been made before, “it’s just that now all this is taking real shape.”

Senior researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Viktor Kuzminkov, also believes that Moscow is sending an unambiguous signal to its partners from Tokyo.

The expert said that Klintsevich’s statement was made at a time when a Japanese delegation led by Assistant to the Prime Minister Eiichi Hasegawa was visiting the Kuril Islands. The purpose of the visit is to inspect four islands before starting joint business activities.

“We are seeing another discrepancy in expectations from mutual cooperation. Russia has high expectations from economic cooperation and hopes for big projects with Japan. Tokyo hopes for some political dividends in return, namely on the issue of the Kuril Islands,” Kuzminkov emphasized in a conversation with RT.

However, according to the expert, in reality, neither Russia is ready to transfer the islands, nor is Japan truly interested in Russia as an economic partner.

“The Japanese are still hoping to get the islands, and the construction of a base on Matua, of course, will be viewed negatively. I don’t rule out that this will cause quite serious protests in Tokyo,” concluded Kuzminkov.

Kuril Islands / Photo: riarealty.ru

A number of new military facilities will appear on the Kuril Islands of Iturup and Kunashir, reports the press service of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy).

The press service noted that social infrastructure is also being built on the islands: dormitories for military personnel, cultural, leisure and sports centers.

The total construction area reaches 400 thousand square meters, in total it is planned to construct 392 buildings and structures. More than 500 builders and 100 pieces of equipment are involved in the construction of military infrastructure.

Also, according to Spetsstroy, all military facilities in the Kuril Islands will be equipped with the latest security system “Strelets-Sentry”, which will allow messages about emergency situations to be transmitted via secure communication channels, RIA Novosti reports.

reference Information

Sagittarius guarding military facilities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex

By the end of 2015, national superheroes will protect the borders of Russia using unique bracelets

Just recently, fantastic bracelets from superhero movies were just a utopia. However, the Sagittarius company managed to turn fantasy into reality.

Superhero bracelets are unique security points for receiving and transmitting information, which form the basis of the integrated complex of technical security equipment “Sagittarius-Sentinel”. With the help of bracelets, you can not only monitor the status of each guard (GLONASS sensor, immobility sensor), but also secretly notify him about emergency situation at the site with a vibration signal. In other words, the Strelets company was able to combine the entire complex of technical means of protecting an object directly with the person on combat duty. In the event of an emergency at the facility, an alarm signal will immediately be sent to the bracelet and to the control headquarters.

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev gets acquainted with the Sagittarius-Chasovoy mobile complex at the Russian Ministry of Defense forum / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

“We need to implement it!”

“We need to implement it!” – Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev succinctly stated after getting acquainted with the Sagittarius-Chasovoy mobile complex at the International Military-Technical Forum of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Minister of Defense said that the complex has already been put into service and will enter the Russian army in 2015.

Today, the Sagittarius-Chasovoy complex is already used to protect the most important military facilities, for example, the National Defense Control Center of Russia in Moscow, as well as the Patriot Park in Kubinka.

At the official closing ceremony of the forum, the Strelets company was awarded the award “For its contribution to the preparation and organization of the international military-technical forum” / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

Patriot Park under the sign of Sagittarius

All security systems of the Patriot Park: video surveillance, access control, perimeter security and personal alarm systems were implemented using Sagittarius-Sentry technology, including wireless.

As a result of the use of modern wireless technologies, Strelets LLC quickly created a reliable security system at the international forum of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Uralmashzavod chose Strelets

The largest industrial enterprise of national importance was fully equipped with the Strelets radio channel system.

"Uralmashplant" / Photo: i-korotchenko.livejournal.com

Decisive factors for choosing Sagittarius:

• Installation in a short time (no need to lay cable lines and wires).
• No false alarms (for example, welding work leads to interference in long wires - a kind of antenna for interference).
• Possibility of stage-by-stage reconstruction of buildings without disrupting communication lines of security systems.

Wireless and traditional technologies of the Sagittarius-Sentry system provide a qualitatively new level of security for defense complex facilities.

Several years ago, the Russian government drew attention to the Kuril Islands as a Russian outpost in Far East, deciding to create (primarily in Iturup and Kunashir) an updated military and social infrastructure - on the basis of what had existed since Soviet times.

Construction work in the active phase began in the second half of 2014. For relatively a short time With the help of contracting organizations: "Spetsstroy Rossii" and "Instrakt-Proekt" - a preparatory stage was carried out for the normal operation of construction departments. Temporary comfortable housing was prepared for workers and engineering staff (two residential camps are now functioning). Meals are provided in canteens, bathhouses and laundries with dryers ( important point in the Kuril Islands with their unstable and chilly weather). The necessary contingent of qualified specialists was delivered, mainly from the mainland, and placed: from drivers to carpenters and concrete workers. We delivered building materials, fuels and lubricants and the necessary new construction equipment: truck cranes, excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, etc. And the construction process began - both in the village of Goryachiye Klyuchi and in Burevestnik.

Excavation pits appeared and the foundations of buildings began to be built. But then for a while construction work Ah, there was a pause due to the fact that the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to increase the number of construction projects in all areas of the military-social infrastructure in the Kuril Islands. And this led to the need to expand the built-up areas and, accordingly, carry out additional surveys and design work.

Construction has resumed today. A residential complex of two-story buildings continues to be built in Goryachiye Klyuchi. At the first stage, six such buildings should be built. They are based on steel frames covered with lightweight hanging panels. Such structures are safe during earthquakes: they are designed to withstand tremors of up to nine points or more. In parallel, all engineering networks are connected to them: electrical, thermal, water supply and sewerage.

It is planned to begin construction of a Leisure and Sports Center in the near future; next in line is a hospital with 100 beds (recruitment of medical and nursing staff is already underway), a school and kindergarten. Open sports grounds will also be created. That is, everything will be done to ensure that military personnel and their families, as well as civilian service personnel, do not feel cut off from the mainland. One thing will be required of them - to serve and work more effectively than in the past. To intensify construction work in the future, another camp for 150 people should be installed (more than 300 people are currently working) and the number of construction equipment should be added in anticipation of the warm season that is already beginning. But in order to accommodate the above objects, that is, to prepare construction sites for them, according to the construction management, it is necessary to demolish a number of existing old buildings and relocate utility networks.

In addition to social facilities, active construction of military training camps and parks for military equipment, storage facilities and warehouses for various purposes. It is planned that some objects will be presented for acceptance by the state commission by the summer of this year.

It should be noted that more than 30 years have passed since the Soviet period of construction of military camps on the Kuril Islands. People with such experience have been out of work for a long time, and a new generation of military builders is only gaining experience in conducting construction work in a distant region with their own special climatic conditions. Of course, no one is happy about delays in the supply of building materials. It is the delivery of materials that accounts for a significant share of construction costs. Most of them are absent on the island, and those that are available on Iturup, for example, inert materials, according to laboratory findings of Spetsstroy of Russia, are not suitable for use everywhere due to their insufficient strength and frost resistance. Local materials can be used for backfilling, for some types of bases, for example, road ones. They cannot be used in the manufacture of critical structures, so military builders are forced to import the same crushed stone from overseas, from Vladivostok. It is clear that such logistics are very expensive, although the material itself is quite inexpensive.

The bulk of construction materials arrives on the island through the port terminal "Kurilsk", which allows JSC "Gidrostroy", which services it, to earn decent money from unloading ships. The port's cargo turnover in 2015 amounted to about 70 thousand tons, of which construction materials for military builders accounted for approximately 45-50 percent. A number of island entrepreneurs who have their own freight vehicles also make money by transporting cargo from the port to Goryachiye Klyuchi and Burevestnik (not the shortest shoulder by local standards). Of course, this is good for everyone involved in the delivery of materials. However this situation construction organizers are not happy with it, and it is clear for what reasons. Let me remind you that during the years of the USSR, cargo ships were unloaded almost next to construction sites in Kasatka Bay; temporary mooring structures were used, which, by the way, coped well with the assigned tasks. Today we are talking about the need to build a capital deep-water berth similar to the one at the port of Kurilsk (after all, cargo needs to be delivered not only for construction, but also for the regular supply of troops), and such a decision, according to our information, has already been made. In a good way, such a pier was needed “yesterday,” but better late than never.

Builders were faced with the age-old Kuril problem - sending people on vacation when changing shifts and going on vacation. As always, there are difficulties in purchasing tickets in both directions, both for air transport and for sea transport. The management is trying to get around them, at least by organizing expensive charter flights, but this is not always possible, since everyone knows the situation with the availability of free “boards” at Aurora Airlines.

It must be said that due to the reduction in the winter of 2015-2016. construction work in Kurilsk and Reidovo, some people with construction specialties went to work at Spetsstroy of Russia in Goryachye Klyuchi. Of course, its personnel service does not hire everyone, but makes a selection, but there is an opportunity for employment for local people. Information about vacancies is submitted to the Kuril Employment Center.

Significant for the island budget is the fact that Spetsstroy of Russia has established its Iturup construction divisions (Main Department No. 2 and Spetsstroy-Service) in the Kuril region. So income taxes individuals, working in these organizations, will come to the region.

Let us add that, with the help of Spetsstroy Rossii, almost the same volume of construction is being carried out on neighboring island Kunashir.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption In 2010, the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the Kuril Islands

Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Defense and Security of the Federation Council Franz Klintsevich announced the construction of a naval base in the Kuril Islands. This is not the first mention of a military facility on the islands; Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about this earlier, but this is the first time this project has been talked about in the present tense.

“The decision has been made. It is under implementation,” Klintsevich said, without specifying where exactly the military facility will be located.

Perhaps he meant the island of Matua - a small piece of land in the center of the Kuril ridge. In 2016, Defense Minister Shoigu said that Russia intended not only to restore, but also to actively exploit this island.

By that time, a large expedition of the Russian Geographical Society and the Pacific Fleet (PF) had already visited the island. The second expedition began in the summer of 2017 and is still ongoing.

• Russian senator: the decision on the naval base in the Kuril Islands has been made
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“Specialists carried out more than 1,000 laboratory studies on physical, chemical and biological indicators, made more than 200 measurements of the relief and external environment. They also carried out radiation and chemical reconnaissance, examined the fortifications of the island and more than 100 historical objects. Divers carried out work on hydrographic research of the bays and bays of the island of Matua,” says the Russian Geographical Society’s website.

Image copyright Google

Image caption Perhaps the naval base will be located on the island of Matua

The expedition reports talk a lot about the study of marine invertebrate animals and algae, the study of the activity of the Sarychev Peak volcano, but if the Ministry of Defense really intends to build a base on this island, then hydrographic studies of the seabed topography and the study of the remains of Japanese military structures are most likely especially important for it .

The new base will be capable of receiving any ships, including the first rank, Klintsevich said on Thursday, without specifying which ships will be based at this facility.

Ships of the first rank include aircraft carriers, destroyers, missile and anti-submarine cruisers, and nuclear submarines. For such deep-draft craft, the seabed really needs to be carefully prepared.

The ownership of some of the Kuril Islands by Russia is disputed by Japan. They got it Soviet Union at the very end of World War II, when Soviet naval forces landed on the islands. The ownership of some of the islands was not secured by international treaties.

Japan claims the Kuril Islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of small Habomai islands, citing the Shimonoseki Treaty of 1855. The Matua island that Shoigu spoke about does not belong to the group of disputed ones - it is located in another part of the ridge, in its central region.

Russia insists that the islands belong to it, citing the inadmissibility of revising the results of World War II.

Island as a base

The Kuril Islands are located in a strategically important area: they separate the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from Pacific Ocean, as if blocking the exit to him from south coast Russian Far East.

During World War II, a powerful system fortifications, airfields, naval bases. One of the objects was located just on Matua - coastal concrete fortifications, the remains of an airfield, warehouses, and shelters still remain on the island.

Image copyright Google

Image caption Traces of Japanese field fortifications remain on Matua

IN Soviet time and until 2001 there was a border post on the island, but in last years the island remained uninhabited.

Currently, the 18th machine gun and artillery division (the only such formation in the Russian army) is deployed on the Kuril Islands with reinforcement units in Iturup and Kunashir. Recently, Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems, as well as Buk anti-aircraft systems, were deployed on the islands. The Bastion complex was located on the island of Iturup, and the Bal complex was located on Kunashir.

Matua is not the most comfortable place to live or even to build a military base. Strong winds blow on the island; there are no large convenient bays on the coast. Finally, all Northern part a small island - a volcano that last erupted quite recently - in 2009.

The island is located at a great distance from supply bases, and communication with it, especially in the winter months, is difficult due to the fact that the Sea of ​​Okhotsk freezes in this place.

Image copyright NASA

Image caption Eruption of the Sarychev Peak volcano on the island of Matua in 2009

In any case, building a large base on it will be extremely expensive.

However, Russia appears ready to spend. On the one hand, the Kremlin has long been striving to expand its military presence in the World Ocean. And the Pacific region, which has attracted more and more attention in recent years, is extremely important for Russia.

For example, one of the two amphibious helicopter carriers that Russia intended to purchase from France was to be based in the Pacific Fleet.

“When I served in the Far East, the issue of placing a naval formation of the Pacific Fleet on the Kuril Islands was considered. It is profitable to create a base on the islands for the only reason - direct access to the ocean. Of the places that were determined to be suitable for it in terms of geometry, the difficulties were the following. The first - difficult ice conditions in winter. The second is the ebb and flow of about six meters. The third is strong winds,” former commander of the Baltic Fleet Admiral Vladimir Valuev said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

During the times of the USSR, which had a larger Pacific Fleet than Russia now has, a large military base was never built on the Kuril Islands.

Russia's second goal is to gain a foothold on the Kuril Islands themselves. The unresolved issue with the Kuril Islands hinders the development of relations between the two countries; it is raised every time by Moscow and Tokyo and clearly makes both sides very nervous.

What kind of base can Russia afford?

Speaking about the scale of the future facility, Senator Franz Klintsevich said that the new base will be capable of receiving any ships, including the first rank.

At the same time, Klintsevich used the word “base”, that is, he meant a fairly large facility, which should include not only berths, but also infrastructure for the maintenance of ships, ideally a dock and ship repair plant, barracks for accommodating crews and base personnel, air defense units and airfield.

And all this is on an island with an area of ​​52 square kilometers, a significant part of which is occupied by a volcano.

Senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Vasily Kashin, told the BBC that as a result, only a small logistics and technical support center for ships may appear on Matua, in Syria, and Russia will invest money in already existing bases of the Pacific fleet.

There are five of them in the Far East - in Vladivostok, Fokino, Vilyuchinsk (nuclear submarines are based there), Sovetskaya Gavan and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

“Maybe it will be a harbor where there will be several piers, again we don’t know how many; there will be an icebreaker and a couple of tugs, and some small forces will be constantly deployed,” he said.

At the same time, Kashin noted that even if, for example, a large anti-submarine ship (first rank) can approach the island, it is still unknown how many such ships can be serviced there at the same time and what volume of service they can receive there.

Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Ruslan Tsalikov / Photo: function.mil.ru

Yesterday, Deputy Minister of Defense Ruslan Tsalikov and Director of Spetsstroy Alexander Volosov checked the progress of construction of infrastructure facilities for military camps on the islands of Iturup and Kunashir in the Kuril ridge.

During the working trip, R. Tsalikov and A. Volosov inspected the construction sites of infrastructure facilities of the machine gun and artillery division stationed at southern islands Kuril ridge.

“When constructing new military camps, technological solutions are used that take into account the climatic and seismic characteristics of the region of deployment”

The construction of military and social facilities on the islands of the Kuril chain has not been carried out since the late 1960s. Currently, the forces of Spetsstroy of Russia in Kunashir and Iturup have launched large-scale construction of two base military camps according to standard designs. The terms of government contracts provide for the phased construction of residential and barracks zones, utility and warehouse zones and sectors of club and sports facilities.

Next year, builders will have to complete reconstruction and new construction of more than 220 facilities, including more than 40 residential buildings and dormitories, 2 schools, 2 kindergartens, 2 universal sports complex with swimming pool, ice skating rinks, canteens, hospitals and clinics, shops, cafes, as well as combat training facilities and supporting infrastructure.

The commissioning of military camp infrastructure will be carried out in stages, as the launch complexes are ready. When constructing new military camps, technological solutions are used that take into account the climatic and seismic characteristics of the region of deployment.

Following the trip, R. Tsalikov instructed to increase the pace of construction work and optimize the processes associated with passing state examinations. He recalled that the construction of military infrastructure facilities on the Kuril Islands is monitored weekly by the leadership of the military department during thematic conference calls at the National Defense Management Center.

Construction of military facilities / Photo: function.mil.ru

reference Information

Currently, on the territory of the Central and Eastern Military Districts, the construction and reconstruction of more than 250 complex facilities is underway, including housing construction for 16.8 thousand apartments in Syzran, Vilyuchinsk, Engels, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude and other cities.

In addition, in accordance with the plans for the development of the Armed Forces, existing infrastructure for the cantonment of troops is being developed and new infrastructure is being built in more than 20 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and active construction is underway in the Arctic zone.

The construction and arrangement of military camps is carried out according to standard designs using the technologies of prefabricated steel structures and tent-mobile shelters.

MOSCOW, Directorate of Press Service and Information of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
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