Moscow gives names to unnamed Kurile Islands
Russian authorities say they are naming two small, previously unnamed islands in the disputed Kurile Island chain for a Soviet general and an academic, Radio Liberty reported.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk district head Vasily Solomko said the islands will be named in honor of General Aleksei Gnechko, the commander of Kurile amphibious forces in 1945, and Sergei Kapitsa, a noted scholar and television host.
The two islands, some 100 square meters in size, are among the first of many unnamed islands in the chain to receive names.
Another "name-awarding" expedition is due to travel around the Kuriles in October.
The Kurile Islands were long considered part of Japan, but at the end of World War II, Soviet troops seized the entire chain.
Japan still claims it rightfully owns the four southern islands.
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