NEW DELHI, April 3. /TASS/. The navies from Russia and India practiced repelling present-day threats at sea, including UAV attacks during the joint maneuvers Indra Navy 2025 that ended in the Bay of Bengal, Commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s naval group involved in the exercise, Captain 1st Rank Aleksey Antsiferov told TASS on Thursday.
"The main feature of this exercise is that its scenario reflects present-day realities, i.e. threats that can be expected at sea today. This primarily refers to repelling combined attacks," the Russian commander said, adding that the Indra Navy joint maneuvers "simulated the repulsion of anti-ship missile attacks along with an attack by uncrewed boats and unmanned aerial vehicles."
The drills "went smoothly, according to plan," he said. "All the elements planned with the Indian side were implemented in full. I believe that the exercise has been efficient and I can give it an excellent mark both for its coastal phase that focused on planning and the naval phase that proceeded according to the approved scenario," the commander said.
"We practiced joint maneuvering, refueling a group of ships from our tanker and conducting joint flights. Flight control was exercised both by the Indian and Russian sides. Indian helicopters made landings on our ships and, correspondingly, our rotorcraft landed on the decks of India’s vessels, he specified.
"Artillery firings were conducted at sea targets. The targets were set up by the Indian side," he added.
The Russian commander highly praised interaction with the Indian side.
"We understood each other and during the exercise even changes were introduced that were accepted by the Indian side in full. Some elements were complemented already during the maneuvers at sea," he stressed.
"The Indian naval forces were interested in our experience of conducting a modern battle at sea," he said.
Indra Navy 2025 drills
The Russian and Indian warships wrapped up the joint naval maneuvers Indra Navy 2025 in India’s south on April 3.
"The Indian-Russian joint naval drills Indra Navy 2025 have successfully ended in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. The personnel of the Russian Navy and the Navy of the Republic of India have accomplished the assigned objectives at a high professional level," the Russian embassy in New Delhi told TASS.
The Russian Navy was represented in the drills by the Pacific Fleet’s corvettes Rezky and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and medium sea tanker Pechenga. India’s warships that participated in the drills included the Project 61-ME destroyer Rana built in the Soviet Union in 1970-1980 on order from the Indian government and transferred to India in 1982 and the corvette Kuthar designed by Indian naval engineers and constructed in Mumbai.
The Russian warships have returned to the port of Chennai in India’s south. On April 3-10, they will replenish supplies and the personnel will get a rest, during which they will go on sightseeing tours, participate in sporting events and have time for personal needs.
On April 10, the Russian naval group will deploy to the sea to continue accomplishing assigned missions.
The Russian Pacific Fleet’s corvettes Rezky and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and medium sea tanker Pechenga arrived at the southern Indian port of Chennai on March 26.
Russia and India have been regularly conducting Indra drills for already more than 20 years. The drills aim to improve operational interoperability and bolster bilateral naval cooperation. In recent years, land and naval forces alternately participate in the maneuvers.
The first Russian-Indian naval maneuvers took place off the western coast of India in May 2003. Eventually, the maneuvers became regular and began to be conducted by Russia and India alternately. The latest Indra Russian-Indian drills were conducted in the Gulf of Finland in July 2024.