Russia, India to hold joint naval exercise in January

Six Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered missile cruiser, will participate in a joint naval exercise with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea this month.

Six Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered missile cruiser, will participate in a joint naval exercise with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea this month, a senior defence official said on Sunday.

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The exercise will be held as part of a biennial defence programme called INDRA to boost cooperation in maritime law, anti-piracy operations, and counter terrorism and drug smuggling, the chief of the Russian General Staff, said.

INDRA-2009 is the fourth such exercise since 2003 and would involve a number of live-fire drills.

"The exercise will be held in the Arabian Sea at the end of January. Russia will be represented by six ships, including the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser," Army General Nikolai Makarov said.

The Northern Fleet's Pyotr Veliky missile cruiser is currently anchored near South Africa.

A naval task force led by the cruiser recently participated in joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy in the Caribbean.

The missile cruiser will be joined by other warships from the Pacific Fleet for participating in the INDRA-2009 exercise.