MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The number of Russian servicemen stationed on the Kuril Islands will stand at up to 3,500, and the authorities do not plan to deploy any new Army units in the region, a high-ranking representative of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"As part of the upcoming transformation of the machine gun-artillery division deployed on the Kuril Islands into a modern-type motorized rifle brigade, today's number of its servicemen will be preserved and will stand at up to 3,500," he said.
The official refused to confirm recent news reports claiming that a decision was made to deploy one more air defense missile brigade equipped with S-400 system on the Kuril Islands.
"There is no need to place such a unit on the islands. The air defense means available to the Land Forces are quite sufficient to protect them from an air strike," he said.
The brigade is expected to operate light armored hardware, including combat infantry vehicles and armored personnel carriers, as well as artillery systems and small arms, the source said.
"There are no plans to deploy heavy weapons on the Kuril Islands," he said.
More strike and transport helicopters will be stationed at the military airfield on Iturup Island, while the region's military aviation commandant's office will be set up on Shikotan Island, he said.
An aide to the Russian defense minister, Gen. Yury Yakubov, earlier told Interfax-AVN about plans to enlarge the runway of the airfield on Iturup Island.
"This will make it possible to accept [Ilyushin] Il-76 military transport airplanes that will deliver all of the necessary supplies to the garrison. I think that there is a need to strengthen the garrison by providing it with military aircraft. The number of helicopters deployed there today is clearly insufficient," he said.