The Indian Navy and Russian Pacific Fleet have commenced the joint Indra-2014 naval exercise in the Sea of Japan to carry out counter-terrorism manoeuvres while bolstering their inter-operability.
The six-day exercise involves the participation of Indian vessels, including the INS Ranvijay destroyer, the INS Shivalik frigate and the INS Shakti fleet tanker, with the Russian fleet comprising the Varyag guided-missile cruiser, the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer and the Peresvet in addition to several auxiliary vessels.
An Indian Navy spokesperson told Brahmand: "After travelling over 5,000 nautical miles, three Indian Navy warships, including the Rajput-class destroyer INS Ranvijay, stealth frigate INS Shivalik and fleet tanker INS Shakti, on Monday entered the Russian port of Vladivostok."
The exercise will see the participation of naval aircraft and helicopters from both sides.
Mainly aimed at training and improving joint naval actions, strengthening mutual trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces, the exercise would also bolster their capabilities to jointly deal with maritime security issues.
During the active phase of the exercise, scheduled from 17 to 19 July in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan, vessels will execute tactical manoeuvring drills, artillery and missile-firing drills, in addition to helicopter deck landing drills.
The nations have conducted seven extensive exercises under the Indra series of joint ground and naval drills since 2003.
Upon the completion of the drills with the Russian Navy, India will move on to the Pacific Ocean to participate in the multilateral Malabar exercise with the US and Japanese navies.
