Zemlyak (Russian: земляк, "countryman")[1] was[2] a Russian political movement which emerged in 1992,[3] founded by Mikhail Lukyanov,[4] advocating for Russia to return the Kuril Islands to Japan as it would benefit the islanders economically.[5]

The movement became extremely unpopular due to its leader's firmly pro-Japanese position during the 1990s, heavy investments into the Kuril islands by Moscow in recent years and marginalisation of the movement. As of 2019 the movement has сeased to exist and its former leader is considered an outcast among the locals.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Bogdan Szajkowski (1 January 1993). Encyclopaedia of Conflicts, Disputes, and Flashpoints in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Successor States. Longman Current Affairs. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-582-21002-8.
  2. ^ "Хоть камни в море!".
  3. ^ Bogdan Szajkowski (1 January 1993). Encyclopaedia of Conflicts, Disputes, and Flashpoints in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Successor States. Longman Current Affairs. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-582-21002-8.
  4. ^ William F. Nimmo (1994). Japan and Russia: A Re-Evaluation in the Post-Soviet Era. Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-313-28440-3.
  5. ^ McCarthy, Terry (2 July 1992). "Islanders tempted by a place under the sun". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Хоть камни в море!".
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