While visiting the islands of the Kuril ridge, Defense Minister Serdyukov promised to begin re-equipping the military units that are stationed there.
"Since 2011, we are starting to work within the framework of the new state armament program, and I believe that we will plan the replacement of weapons and military equipment in this division," the Interfax news agency quoted the Defense Minister as saying.
During a trip to the Kuril Islands, Serdyukov heard a report from the commander of the 18th machine-gun and artillery division, which is responsible for the defense of this important area. The Minister of Defense examined the equipment, familiarized himself with the living conditions of the servicemen, and listened to the officers' wives.
Reference: 18th machine-gun and artillery division, the task of defending the islands, the composition is the 46th machine-gun and artillery regiment (Kunashir), the 484th machine-gun and artillery regiment (Iturup). This is the only division in the Russian army, except for the airborne divisions. According to various estimates, up to 80% of equipment and weapons require major repairs or should be decommissioned. There is equipment dating back to the time of Stalin, for example: IS-2, IS-3, T-34.
Japan's reaction
The Japanese Foreign Ministry "expressed deep regret" over the trip of Serdyukov. Japan considers 4 islands of the Kuril ridge as its own (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai). Russian President Medvedev offered Japan to start sharing the islands - at the end of 2010, Tokyo rejected this proposal.