For many Western readers the Kuril Islands are famous chiefly for being the subject of an post-WWII territorial dispute between USSR/Russia and Japan. Amidst the political wrangling, the Kuril islanders continue to go about their daily lives, reports Ksenya Semyonova, a native of nearby Sakhalin.

The island of Sakhalin, once described by Chekhov as ‘hell’, lies six time-zones removed from Moscow in the Russian Far East. But when it comes to the upcoming elections, the apparent inevitability of victory for the status quo provokes very similar reactions, no matter where you live. Ksenya Semyonova finds her sense of humour becoming ever more desperate.

The tragedy of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami has produced chaos on the island of Sakhalin. What little information is available is regarded with suspicion. Ksenia Semyonova monitors the mounting panic.

Throwing money at a problem doesn’t always solve it. Allocations for drug control have been increased on Sakhalin, but the addiction statistics remain uncomfortably high. Sometimes ordinary people could do more to help, says Kseniya Semyonova