Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergei Kiriyenko visited Shumshu – one of the islands of the northern group of the Kuril Islands. A museum dedicated to the Kuril landing operation – the last major battle of the USSR against militaristic Japan – will be built here.
They were accompanied by the acting commander of the Eastern Military District Mikhail Nosulev, the governor of the Sakhalin Region Valery Limarenko, the governor of the Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Solodov, the chief federal inspector for the Sakhalin Region Ivan Terentyev, and the mayor of the Severo-Kurilsk urban district Alexander Ovsyannikov.
During the Great Patriotic War, Shumshu Island was the northern stronghold of Japanese troops on the Kuril Islands and was considered impregnable. The landing of Soviet paratroopers on Shumshu became a decisive event in the entire Kuril landing operation. "I believe that the Japanese, as the losing side in World War II, will have a different attitude towards the museum on Shumshu Island. For my part, I can only say that all this time we have been inviting representatives of all countries of the world to cooperate in the Far East and the Kuril Islands, and we always offer this to Japan as well. And we remain open to cooperation,” noted Yuri Trutnev.