The Kuril Islands "were, are and will remain" part of Russian territory. This was emphasized by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
"Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi can talk as much as he wants about the Kuril Islands being "historically Japanese", but these words will not change anything," he wrote on the social network X.
Medvedev also emphasized that "anyone who does not understand this will face the monstrous consequences of their own delusion".
He made his statement in response to Japan's protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the archipelago — a contentious issue in relations between the two countries.
Takaichi said the visit "offends the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable."
In 2010, Medvedev himself became the first Russian head of state to visit the disputed territory. He visited the islands again in 2015, this time as prime minister.