Putin visits Kuril islands for first time

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, ‌a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain near the island of Hokkaido, Russian media said on Thursday.

On the trip, which state news agency TASS ​described as Putin's first in person to the island chain, he visited the Yasny fish-processing plant on Iturup, after overseeing the navy drills in Russia's far east.