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Kuril Islands, Karelia, Kaliningrad don’t belong to Russia: Ukraine officials

08.03.2022 17:25
Ukraine’s National Security Council on Tuesday listed territories that have been under Russian occupation for years.
Kuril Islands.
Kuril Islands.Image: Google Maps

Among them is the Pacific archipelago of Kuril Islands, occupied by Russia since 1945, the 24tv.ua website reported.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has recently emphasised that the issue of the ownership of the islands is far from settled, Ukrainian officials noted.

According to Ukraine’s National Security Council, Tokyo is seeking to resolve the long-standing dispute with Moscow over the islands, 24tv.ua wrote. 

In a statement on its website, the Ukrainian agency mentioned other Russia-controlled territories which have historically belonged to other countries, namely Karelia and Kaliningrad, 24tv.ua reported.

Finland ceded parts of its province of Karelia to the Soviet Union, after losing the Winter War of 1939-40.  

Meanwhile, Kaliningrad, previously a Prussian city by the name of Königsberg, was seized by the Soviet army during the Second World War. On September 17, 1945, Prussia was incorporated into the Soviet Union.

In this connection, Ukraine’s National Security Council stressed that the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991, 24tv.ua reported.

Ukraine has been battling a Russian assault on the country since February 24.

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Source: 24tv.ua, AP