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Harbor phase of Russian-Indian drills INDRA Navy 2018 begins

During this stage of the exercise the sides held several meetings on the upcoming steps of forces at sea

VLADIVOSTOK, December 11. /TASS/. Sailors from Russia and India trained to fight for a ship survival at a coastal simulator complex during the harbor phase of the INDRA Navy 2018 drills in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Russian Pacific Fleet Spokesman Capt. 2nd Rank Nikolai Voskresensky told reporters.

The Pacific Fleet’s task force, consisting of the Order of Nakhimov guards missile cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev and the Boris Butoma large sea tanker, arrived in India’s port of Visakhapatnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh on December 9.

"Under the earlier approved plan, the crews of Russian and Indian warships started implementing the events of the harbor phase of the bilateral Russian-Indian naval drills INDRA Navy 2018," Voskresensky said.

During this stage of the exercise the sides held several meetings on the upcoming steps of forces at sea, including briefings for boarding teams and marines, tactical and safety meetings. "The sailors of the two countries took part in a joint training on the ship’s survival at a coastal simulator complex."

The sea phase of the drills is scheduled to begin on December 13. It will be held in the Bay of Bengal near the port of Visakhapatnam. The exercise will focus on naval cooperation between the two countries to protect navigation and economic activity at sea.

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