New Delhi: The Indian Navy’s frigate INS Sahyadri arrived at Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East on Saturday ahead of the bilateral naval drills Exercise Indra – 2026. Scheduled from October 13 to October 18, the exercise will bring Indian and Russian naval personnel together for professional exchanges and coordinated operations at sea.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet confirmed the ship’s arrival at its main base and said the opening ceremony would take place on October 13. The Russian corvette Aldar Tsydenzhapov will participate in the exercise, whose sea phase will be conducted in the Sea of Japan, according to the fleet’s announcement reported by Interfax and EFE.
The programme will begin with a harbour phase involving professional discussions and exchanges between personnel of the two navies, followed by joint activities at sea. According to the Indian Navy’s release, these engagements are intended to improve operational coordination and interoperability – the ability of the participating forces to work together effectively.
Courtesy visits and social, cultural and sporting activities are also planned alongside the operational programme. These engagements will give crews opportunities to interact beyond their formal duties during the port visit.
Sahyadri is a Shivalik-class multirole stealth frigate that entered service in July 2012. It belongs to the Navy’s Project-17 series, alongside INS Shivalik and INS Satpura, developed to support operations across a range of maritime roles.
The Indra naval exercise series began in 2003 and has provided a recurring platform for operational exchanges between India and Russia. Its previous edition, held from March 28 to April 2, 2025, comprised a harbour phase in Chennai and a sea phase in the Bay of Bengal, with coordinated manoeuvres and simulated engagements.
The deployment follows the 23rd India-Russia annual summit, held in New Delhi on December 4 and December 5, 2025. In their joint statement, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, endorsed the Indra exercises and agreed to sustain joint military activities and expand exchanges between defence delegations.
The Indian Navy linked Sahyadri’s participation to the government’s Mahasagar vision, short for “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions”. Announced by Modi in Mauritius on March 12, 2025, the framework broadened India’s earlier Sagar approach to cooperation with countries across the Global South.