India, Aug. 13 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands in the Far East region has sparked a row. The president, who visited the region for the first time, prompted a strong protest from Japan, which claims the territory.

During his visit, the Kremlin stated that Putin visited a fish-processing plant at Iturup Island.

However, this visit has sparked further tensions between Moscow and Tokyo, whose ties have worsened since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

Russia and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute for decades over the southernmost Kuril Islands.

The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands stretching between Japan's Hokkaido and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

These four islands - Iturup, Kuna...