Russia’s defense ministry said it deployed the Bastion coastal missile system, which has a range of up to 500 kilometers (270 nautical miles), to an uninhabited volcanic Matua island in the Kuril Islands, despite the islands being claimed by Japan as its “Northern Territories.” In a statement on Dec. 2, the ministry said the crews of Bastion missile systems were deployed for the first time and entered duty on Matua, with servicemen keeping a 24-hour watch over the adjacent water area and straits. It stated that all “equipment, personnel, and material base were delivered to the island zone by amphibious ship of the Primorsk Flotilla of the Pacific Fleet’s diverse forces.” The ministry also posted a video showing massive missile carriers moving ashore from amphibious landing vessels and driving along the coast of the volcanic island to take firing positions as part of drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that …