Navies Of India And Russia Started Maneuvers In Bay of Bengal
Navies of India and Russia started maneuvers in the Bay of Bengal amid tension with China at the border. The navies of India and Russia launched a two-day joint maneuver in the Bay of Bengal on Friday amid continuing military tensions from China in eastern Ladakh. The objective is to increase coordination in view of various security challenges.
Commander Vivek Madhwal, the spokesperson of the Indian Navy, said that the objective of this exercise is to increase understanding between the navies of the two countries and adopt each other’s best methods. This exercise reflects the long-term strategic relationship between the navies of the two countries.
India has increased its naval deployment in the Indian Ocean region to deal with China’s aggressive and provocative actions. It consists of a large number of warships and submarines. This naval practice is named Indra. In this, exercises are being done to kill targets in the surface and air.
In addition to Russian warships Admiral Vinogradov, Admiral Tributes, and Boris Butoma, a fleet of helicopters is also participating. This maneuver was first to be held in Vladivostok, Russia but was postponed due to the Corona epidemic. The Indian Navy is participating in this exercise with its warships Rannvijay, Sahyadri, Kiltan, Shakti, and helicopters.
The exercise is taking place at a time when India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Russia to attend the SCO meeting. Rajnath Singh met his Russian counterpart General Sergey on Thursday. In this meeting, there was a discussion between the two on cooperation on many important issues.
It is believed that this exercise will further strengthen the relations between the two countries. This exercise has been taking place between the Indian and Russian armies since 2003. Indra is jointly conducting the three Army exercises once in two years since 2017.
The previous edition of the Indra Exercise was held in the year 2018 in Visakhapatnam. Just in July, the Indian Navy conducted exercises with the US Navy. It is noteworthy that the sea area around the Malacca Strait is considered to be very important for China’s supply chain via sea route.
