Putin threatened Japan during military exercises

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived on Sakhalin Island, where he will observe the final stage of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s exercises.

This was reported by the Russian propaganda agency TASS.

While on the missile cruiser Varyag, Putin spoke about NATO’s alleged attempts to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and deploy new types of weapons there, which, according to him, could pose a threat to Russia.

The Russian dictator also blamed Western countries for the rising tensions in the Arctic region.

Putin also criticized the sanctions Japan imposed on Russia after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine. He called them “unprovoked” and claimed Tokyo was ignoring the causes of the war.

Putin stated that Moscow has no claims against Japan, but at the same time, he stated that Tokyo continues to make territorial claims regarding the Kuril Islands. The Russian leader insists that the islands’ ownership of the Russian Federation is allegedly enshrined in international documents following World War II.

Putin also expressed dissatisfaction with sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet.” He accused Western countries of attempting to restrict the movement of Russian merchant vessels, calling such actions “piracy and robbery.”

The Russian leader threatened to retaliate against such measures, declaring that Moscow would allegedly act in a similar manner “anywhere,” particularly in the Pacific Ocean.