the Arctic 1905: Russo-Japanese War in the Far North

The Russo-Japanese War, which had broken out in 1904, turned north after the Japanese defeat of the Russian fleet at Tsushima in May 1905. In July the Japanese seized the island of Sakhalin, then briefly raided Kamchatka and the Commander Islands the following month.

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Main Events

7–30 Jul 1905 Japanese invasion of Sakhalin

In early July 1905 two parties totaling 14,000 Japanese troops landed between Aniwa and Korsakov on Sakhalin island, meeting little opposition. The Japanese moved on to capture Korsakov, where they defeated 2,000 Russians, before heading north to capture most of southern Sakhalin by the 16th. On 24 July they landed in northern Sakhalin and forced the 5,000 Russian defenders to surrender, completing the Japanese conquest of the island. in wikipedia

6–25 Aug 1905 Suma and Izumi raids

In August 1905, having set out from Korsakov in Sakhalin, the Japanese protected cruisers Suma and Izumi fired on the Russian port of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, and seized the US-flagged steamer Australia with its cargo of war contraband. When the Russians withdrew into the interior, the Japanese briefly landed and looted warehouses and government offices. The two cruisers then sailed for Bering Island in the nearby Commander Islands chain, but their attempt to force a landing was repelled by the inhabitants. The Japanese then headed back west and, after stopping off in Petropavlovsk a second time, arrived back in Sakhalin on the 25th. in wikipedia