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The territorial dispute between Russia and Japan only involved South Kuril. The increasing presence of Russian troops in South Kuril has sparked reactions and protests from Japan. Japan has also shown dissatisfaction to the increasing presence of Russian troops on other islands in the Kuril Islands that are not claimed by Tokyo and the surrounding area. This research aims to identify the factors that led Russia to increase military presence in the Kuril Islands and surrounding area during the administration of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin after returning as the President of Russia in 2012 until now. In addition, evidences of increased Russian military presence are also analyzed to show that the factors of increasing military presence in the Kuril Islands and surrounding areas are in line with the arguments put forward. In understanding Russia's action, the theory of defensive realism and the concept of national security have been applied in this study. The results of this research found that the presence of Russian troops in the Kuril Islands and the surrounding area increased during the era of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin due to factors of strategic importance and national security that included the defense of Eastern Russia. Second, external threats and continued ownership of South Kuril have also influenced Russia's actions. Third, the Sea of Okhotsk, which was part of the Soviet conventional and nuclear prevention strategy, has made the Kuril Islands so important to be maintained under Moscow's sovereignty. Forth, a global factor such as the siege of the United States against Russia through the deployment of various missile defense systems extending from Europe to East Asia has also prompted Russia to increase its military presence in the Kuril Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]