Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Between Russia and Japan: Life on the Kuril Islands

A woman applies lipstick at a beach facing a volcanic rock called Devil's Finger outside Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A woman hangs up laundry in the centre of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A stray dog walks near a recently completed Orthodox Church in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A woman walks past a statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
Local teacher and journalist Gennadey Berezyuk, 63, sits in a hot volcanic spring outside Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
Seagulls circle over an abandoned country house on the coast of the Okhotsk Sea outside Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A toilet stands in a field on private property in the town of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir Island which is part of the Kuril Islands group in Russia. Thomas Peter / Reuters
The rusty hulk of a ship is seen partly immersed in water off the coast of the Southern Kuril island of Shikotan. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A man drives a quad-bike on a beach outside Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril Island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters
Residential houses are seen on the Southern Kuril island of Shikotan. Thomas Peter / Reuters
A dog stands in front of a Soviet IS-2 tank, a World War II monument, in the village of Malokurilskoye on the island of Shikotan. Yuri Maltsev / Reuters
People walk at sunset in the centre of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir. Thomas Peter / Reuters

Foreign and defense ministers from Japan and Russia met in Tokyo on Monday, with both sides expressing hopes that discussions on joint development of the islands claimed by both countries might help them move closer to resolving the territorial dispute preventing them from forging a peace treaty.

The Moscow Times takes a look at life on the disputed island chain known to Russians as the Southern Kurils, but referred to in Japan as the Northern Territories.

More image galleries

Portraits of New Emigrants Fleeing War and Repression

An art show in Riga presents portraits of Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians and Uzbeks who fled their homelands.
1 Min read

In Photos: Russia Hosts BRICS Summit in Kazan

Leaders of BRICS members were joined by the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Venezuela and others.
1 Min read

In Russia's Tver Region, a Mailwoman Is Villagers' Connection to the World

Postwoman Tatyana Voronkova delivers mail, periodicals and groceries to residents of the village of Kemtsy.
1 Min read

In Photos: Moscow Bakes as City Sets New Daily Heat Record

Temperatures climbed to 26.2 degrees Celsius (79.16 degrees Fahrenheit) in Moscow last week Friday, making it the hottest Sept. 13 on record. Friday beat...
1 Min read