YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, April 18. /ITAR-TASS/. By 2016, Russia will organize autonomous military towns at the Iturup and Kunashir Islands, Commander of the Eastern Military District Colonel General Sergei Surovikin said on Friday.

“By 2016, all the major facilities, which are over 150, will be built at the Iturup and Kunashir Islands. Those are modern, fully autonomous military towns with developed social infrastructures. Besides military facilities, they will have houses and buildings for leisure and sports,” he said.

The commander said a similar approach will be used to modernize existing and to build new military towns in Sakhalin. The plan for development of military infrastructures in the region provides for improvement of not only points for dislocation of formations and units, but also operational and transport networks, modernization and re-equipment of three existing landfills, equipment for training facilities, which will improve quality of combat training and enhance ability to conduct training and exercises.