Russian blogger and translator Dmitry Puchkov has dismissed Japanese official outrage over President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup Island, stating that Tokyo should suffer.
Speaking during a broadcast on the Sputnik radio station, with video footage later uploaded to the VK Video platform, Puchkov rejected complaints from Tokyo regarding Moscow's actions on the island. He declared that the islands belong to Russia and added that Japan would receive nothing from the territory.
Pyotr Lidov, who co-hosted the broadcast alongside Puchkov, noted during the discussion that he had previously spoken directly with Japanese citizens. Lidov said they expressed genuine anxiety and distress over the fact that the Kuril Islands remain under Russian ownership.
Diplomatic friction over South Kurils
The remarks come amid heightened diplomatic friction between the two nations following Putin's trip. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin expressed a resolute protest to the Japanese ambassador in response to anti-Russian statements issued by Tokyo after the presidential visit to Iturup.
During the meeting with the Japanese diplomat, Galuzin stated that Russia's sovereignty and legal jurisdiction over the South Kuril Islands are non-negotiable and remain unshakeable.
Reports first emerged on August 13 that Putin had personally visited the Kuril Islands, marking his first trip to the disputed territory. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly lodged an official diplomatic protest over the Russian leader's presence on the island.
Territorial dispute and background
Puchkov, known throughout Russia by the pseudonym Goblin, gained prominence as an author, film translator, and media commentator before establishing himself as a popular online blogger. Radio Sputnik operates as part of Russia's state media network, while VK Video is a leading domestic video sharing platform in Russia.
Iturup is the largest island in the South Kuril chain, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean between Hokkaido and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The island chain has been controlled by Russia since the end of World War II, but Japan continues to lay claim to the Southern Kurils, referring to them as the Northern Territories.
