Exercise Indra 2019, a joint-tri-services exercise between India and Russia was conducted between 10 and 19 December 2019 simultaneously at Babina, Pune and Goa. The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003 and the First joint Tri Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.
During the opening ceremony of this bilateral tri-service exercise, Lieutenant General DS Ahuja, Chief of Staff Southern Command along with Major General Tsekov Oleg, Commander in Chief, 5th Army of Eastern Military District, reviewed the parade.
Company sized mechanised contingents, fighter and transport aircraft and ships of respective services of both the countries took part in the exercise. The exercise also culminated a 72 hours validation phase which tested the skills of soldiers, sailors and airmen in conducting joint operations in counter terrorism scenario.
INS Tarkash, INS Aditya and RuFN ship Yaroslav Mudry participated in an Encounter Exercise and cross-deck flying on the same day. Sea riders were also exchanged between the Indian and Russian ships which was followed by an Air Defence exercise involving four MiG29K aircraft.
On 17 December 2019, a combined boarding team of Indian Navy and Russian Federation Navy personnel conducted boarding exercise to train for anti-piracy operations on a hijacked merchant vessel. Other exercises included firing practice, aviation operations and other manoeuvres like maintaining station and replenishment at sea.
Exercise INDRA-2019 will further cement the long standing strategic ties between India and Russia. It was a historic occasion for two of the world’s greatest Armed Forces when they joined hands and successfully conducted an exercise of this magnitude with professionalism, to absorb the best practices from each other to jointly evolve and practiced drills to defeat the scourge of terror under the United Nation mandate.
