have been used primarily by Japanese forces during World War II. Contemporary period A new international airport, Iturup Airport, was opened in 2014, east of Kurilsk. It was the first airport built from scratch in Russia's post-Soviet history. It has a , runway and can receive Antonov An-74-200 aircraft. It also has a military use. The Burevestnik military airfield to the south, in the past received civilian aircraft as well, but was often closed because of fog. Burevestnik is now a reserve airfield for the new airport. On February 2, 2018, PBS NewsHour reported that Russia announced it is sending fighter planes to Iturup. Su-35 aircraft landed on a reserve airfield on the island in March 2018 and Su-35s were then deployed to Iturup airport on a trial basis in August 2018. Administratively the island belongs to the Sakhalin Oblast of the Russian Federation. Japan claims Iturup as part of Nemuro Subprefecture. Gallery See also Kuril Islands dispute References External links Google Maps Sakhalin Oblast Islands of the Kuril Islands Southern Kuriles Islands of the Sea of Okhotsk Islands of the Russian Far East Islands of Hokkaido Disputed islands Japan–Soviet Union relations