India And Russia To Hold Joint Naval Drills During 14-21 December

The Russian-Indian Indra NAVY 2016 naval exercise will be held on 14-21 December in the southeastern Indian coastal city of Visakhapatnam and in the Bay of Bengal, a military spokesman said Tuesday (6 December).

Russian Eastern Military District spokesman Vladimir Matveyev said the dates and the location were agreed upon during the latest meeting of Russian and Indian officials. The Harbour Phase of the two-phase exercise will be held from 14 December to 18 December in Visakhapatnam, and the Sea Phase will take place in the Bay of Bengal from 19 December to 21 December.

The Harbour Phase will include table-top exercises, planning conferences ashore, official visit exchanges and sports and cultural events. The Sea Phase will include various fleet operations.

The two countries have conducted several anti-terror drills since 2003, and in 2005 such exercises were named "Indra". The Indra drills were also held in 2007, 2014 and 2015.