Indra 2021: Joint Russian & Indian counter-terrorism military drills kick off near Volgograd, southern Russia (VIDEO)

Joint Russian-Indian military exercises have kicked off in Russia’s southern Volgograd Region. The militaries of the two nations will hone their skills in fighting terrorists and facing mock enemies in various combat environments.

The Indra 2021 joint exercise was officially launched on Wednesday at the Prudboi military testing grounds. The ceremony, attended by high-ranking Russian and Indian officials, including New Delhi's envoy to Moscow, Bala Venkatesh Varma, featured a joint military parade and a flyover of combat helicopters.

The exercise is taking place at the testing grounds between August 1 and 13, with the military part set to begin soon. Around 250 Russian and 250 Indian service personnel will take part in the drills, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

“We’re learning about how to face the challenge of… international terrorism in new ways, and I’m sure it will be a very useful exercise between the two militaries,” India’s ambassador told reporters.

The soldiers will face mock enemies in both urban and rural settings, as well as training in finding and defusing explosives.

“The goal of the drills is to learn, share experiences, (and) sort out the nuances in the fight against terrorists. The threat of terrorism has become one of the top problems for the whole world, and we, along with our Indian counterparts, will be dealing with this problem,” the deputy commander of the 8th Southern Military District Army, Lieutenant General Arutyun Darbinyan, stated. 

Over 100 units of military hardware will be used during the exercises, including T-90A main battle tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and Grad multiple rocket launchers. Unmanned aerial vehicles of different types will also take part. Russian pilots from the Southern Military District will provide air support to the ground troops.

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