Russia summons Japan ambassador over disputed islands row

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin visits a school on Iturup island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on Aug 13, 2026. (Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP) 18 Aug 2026 07:56AM MOSCOW: Moscow said on Monday (Aug 17) it had summoned the Japanese ambassador after Tokyo condemned President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Russia's far-eastern Kuril Islands, which are also claimed by Japan.Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.Putin, 73, travelled to the islands after visiting the nearby Russian island of Sakhalin, prompting