VLADIVOSTOK, October 18. /TASS/. An Indian military contingent has arrived in Vladivostok to take part in the Indra-2017 Russia-India drills, Russia’s Pacific Fleet spokesman Captain 2nd Rank Nikolai Voskresensky said on Wednesday.

"Today, a group of commanders and servicemen of the Indian Armed Forces arrived at Knevichi airport to represent India in the land component of the Indra-2017 Russian-Indian multi-service force drills. Three airliners and two Il-76 planes of the Indian Air Force delivered over 300 servicemen to Vladivostok for their participation in the drills," the spokesman said.

Once all the customs formalities were completed, the servicemen went to the sites of the drills’ stages to specify the details of joint operations and deploy the command’s headquarters.

A group of the Indian Navy’s warships will arrive in Vladivostok on October 19 to take part in the naval part of the drills.

This year, the Russian-Indian maneuvers will for the first time be held in the multi-service force format. Instead of the drills Indra Navy-2016, Avia Indra-2016 and Indra-2016 held last year, maneuvers with the participation of three military branches will be held this year with the involvement of the Pacific Fleet and also aviation and land troops units of Russia’s Eastern Military District.