Russia-Japan: Rogozin proposes Russian names for disputed Kuril Islands

The director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Monday that the Kuril Islands, claimed by Russia and Japan, could be renamed after Russian ships and events in the early 20th century. century.

The dispute over the sovereignty of the islands prevents Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace agreement, ending the war period of World War II. Russia claims that the islands are part of its Kuril Islands archipelago, while Japan names the islands its Northern Territories.

Rogozin, a former deputy prime minister overseeing Russia’s defense industry, has proposed changing the name of one of the islands to Varyag to honor a Russian cruiser whose sinking sparked a war between Russia and Russia. Japan in 1904.

He is known for his provocative comments, with a strong presence on social media since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, while he has proposed changing the name of the Hampomay Islands to an archipelago of Russian sailor heroes.

“Always, when states add areas to their control, they give them their own names (…). Why do these islands not have Russian names?” Rogozin asked, speaking on state radio Sputnik.

“This would make a lot more sense than the names that these islands now have, which are destroying the Russian language,” he added.

Japan has followed in the footsteps of its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.” Ukraine and its allies say Russia has launched an unprovoked war.

Russia has pulled out of talks on a peace deal with Japan and froze joint economic programs related to the disputed Kuril Islands over its imposition of Japanese sanctions on Russia.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

You may also like