Indian and Russian militaries will conduct joint antiterrorist exercises next week near Russia’s border with Mongolia and China.
Above 250 servicemen from each side and 50 units of military equipment will be engaged in the Indra-2012 war games which will be held from August 5 to 16 at the Burduny firing range in Buryatia, Russia’s Eastern Military District Command announced on Friday.
“A combined group of Russian and Indian armies will carry out reconnaissance, blocking and destruction of terrorist groups,” the Command said.
The Russian side will field a motorised infantry company, a tank squadron, as well as mortar, artillery, rocket and grenade launcher units. Indian servicemen will train in Russian combat vehicles, the announcement added.
So far India and Russia have held four Indra ground forces exercises in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 alternatively on each other’s territory and four joint naval war games. Last year both the land and naval exercises were cancelled at Russia’s initiative. The Russian side cited organisational problems for the cancellation of the naval war games because of the destructive earthquake in Japan, but gave no reason for calling off the joint manoeuvres on land.
Back in 2010 India and Russia agreed to make the Indra joint training an annual affair.
