Komandorski Islands

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The Komandorski Islands or Commander Islands (Russian: Командо́рские острова́) are a group of treeless Russian islands east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, in the Bering Sea. The islands consist of Bering Island, Medny Island, and two small islets, Sea Lion Rock and Sea Otter Rock. Geologically, although separated from the rest of the chain by several hundred miles, the Commander Islands are the westernmost extension of the Aleutian Islands. The inhabitants, Russians and Aleuts, fish and hunt whales and other marine mammals. The largest village is Nikolskoye on Bering Island.

The islands received their name after Vitus Bering, who died there in 1741 after his ship St. Peter wrecked. Some of the crew, including naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, managed to stay alive, living off the meat of the newly discovered Steller's sea cows and built a new boat to sail back to Kamchatka. Aleut (Unangan) people were transferred to the Komandorski Islands early in 1825 by the Russian-American Company from the Aleutians for the seal trade. Most of the Aleuts inhabiting Bering Island came from Atka Island and those who lived on Medny Island came from Attu Island, both nowadays American possessions. Today the population of the islands is about 2/3 Russian and 1/3 Aleut.

The 1943 Battle of the Komandorski Islands took place in the open sea about 160 km (100 mi) south of the islands.