Putin has arrived - and they've gone furious PHOTO/VIDEO

On Iturup, Putin met with Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko, who briefed him on measures supporting participants in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and their families, as well as on the development of the region.

During his visit, Putin toured the “Yasny” fish-processing plant. He also spoke with local residents in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk about, according to Russian news agencies, weather conditions and preparations for the new school year, and took photos with some residents.

Japan lodges formal protest

Iturup is one of the four southern Kuril Islands claimed by Japan, which Tokyo refers to as the Northern Territories.

The islands have been under Soviet, and subsequently Russian, control since the end of World War II, and the territorial dispute over them has strained relations between Russia and Japan for decades.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on the social media platform X that Japan “strongly protests” Putin’s visit and stated that the islands are “inherently Japanese territory, both historically and under international law.”