MOSCOW \u2013 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday visited the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island chain also claimed by Japan, for the first time, drawing protests from Tokyo.<\/p>\n
Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the chain’s southernmost islands. He also briefly spoke to local residents and met with the governor of Russia’s Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko.<\/p>\n
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MOSCOW \u2013 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday visited the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island chain 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