Russia arrests 11 protesters outside Japanese embassy ahead of Putin-Abe meet

Russian police detained 11 protesters outside the Japanese embassy in Moscow as they rallied against the idea of ceding control over disputed islands to Japan, OVD-Info, a Russian organisation that monitor protest, said on Tuesday. The detentions took place ahead of talks in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss a World War Two peace deal that could resolve a decades-old territorial dispute.

The islands are known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan. Russia said last week its sovereignty over them was not up for discussion. A duty police officer in Moscow was unable to confirm the report from OVD-Info and said no information had been received about detentions.