The planned naming of a disputed Kuril island after Richard Sorge is the latest example of Russia strengthening its control over the features. In January 2022, Moscow proposed exhuming Sorge’s remains in Tokyo and reburying them on one of the disputed Kuril Islands. Rather than moving remains, the current proposal attaches Sorge’s name directly to the island, creating another marker of Russia’s claim. Many of the chosen names honor Soviet intelligence officers, military commanders, and officials connected to the Soviet seizure of the islands in 1945. Japan renounced its claim to the Kuril Islands under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, but Tokyo claims the disputed islands are not part of the Kuril group.