Russia holds naval drills with India in Bay of Bengal

Russia holds naval drills with India in Bay of Bengal

The Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday (Nov 21) that it concluded joint naval exercises with India in the Bay of Bengal, with an aim to bolster security ties between the two nations.

Moscow’s defence ministry said, “The purpose of the exercise is to comprehensively develop and strengthen naval cooperation between Russia and India.”

Moscow further added that the drills will help the two navies “jointly counter global threats and ensure the safety of civilian shipping in the Asia-Pacific region”.

The exercises were planned to last until Wednesday and involved ships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet, including the Admiral Tributs anti-submarine destroyer.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that warships of both countries have concluded joint drills, with artillery firing at sea and air targets, Sputnik reported.

“In the Bay of Bengal, a two-day naval drill between Russia and India came to an end. Russia was represented by the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the medium sea tanker Pechenga of the Pacific Fleet. The destroyer Ranvijay and the corvette Kiltan were represented by the Indian Navy,” the ministry’s message read.

The Sputnik report also mentioned that the sailors practised communication skills as they coordinated manoeuvres. While on the move, the crews practised replenishment, while Indian Navy chopper pilots performed a deck landing on a Russian ship. Meanwhile, the Russian pilots practised Indian destroyer landing approaches in response.

The crews of the Russian and Indian ships held a farewell ceremony after the joint manoeuvres. They moved in parallel and expressed gratitude towards each other for their joint drills, the report added.

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Russia’s historic Andaman exercise 

Recently, Moscow conducted “the first Russian-Myanmar naval exercise in modern history” from November 7-9 in the Andaman Sea on the northeastern fringe of the Indian Ocean. The drills were a milestone for Russia’s naval presence in a sea that the United States counts as one of its global security interests.

Interfax news agency had reported that Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleyev, two large Russian anti-submarine ships, conducted exercises with a frigate and a corvette of Myanmar’s navy.

(With inputs from agencies)