On 2nd anniversary of Ukraine war, US to join Russia, others in naval drill off India’s east coast

New Delhi: The warships of Russia and the United States are set to take part in the ‘sea phase’ of a drill in the Bay of Bengal from February 24 – the day that happens to mark the second anniversary of the launch of the former Soviet Union nation’s “special military operations” in Ukraine.

The United States Navy has sent its Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Halsey, for the ‘Milan 2024’ exercise hosted by the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal off the east coast of India. Three warships of the Russian Navy – Slava-class guided missile cruiser RFS Varyag, Udaloy-class destroyer RFS Marshal Shaposnikov, and Boris Chilikin-class replenishment oiler RFS Boris Butoma – will also participate in the exercise.

That the warships of the Russian and the American navies will participate in a multilateral naval drill is significant as the exercise is happening amid heightened tension between Moscow and Washington DC over the former Soviet Union nation’s military aggression against Ukraine.

The ‘harbour phase’ of the 12th edition of the Milan 2024 exercise commenced in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

The ‘sea phase’, where the warships of Russia and the US will join the naval assets of other nations, will commence on Saturday, the day the war between President Vladimir Putin’s nation and Ukraine will enter the third year.

The Iranian Navy has also sent its Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena to participate in the drill alongside the US Navy warship – notwithstanding tension between Tehran and Washington DC after President Joe Biden’s administration accused the West Asian Islamic Republic of being “deeply involved” in the attacks by the Houthis based in Yemen on the commercial ships passing through the Red Sea.

The drill will see participation by over 51 countries, which sent their operational units and delegations. Altogether 15 ships and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft from the “friendly foreign countries” will participate in the ‘sea phase’ of the exercise from February 24 to 27.

The Indian Navy, which is hosting the drill, stated that it had deployed nearly 20 ships, including aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, and nearly 50 aircraft to participate in the exercise.

The nations that sent naval ships to participate in the drill, included Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Malaysia, Japan, France, Bangladesh, and Australia. The other nations sent official delegations.

The biennial multilateral exercise Milan 2024 has been hosted by the Indian Navy since 1995. It could not be held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 11th edition was held from February 25 to March 4, 2022. Though the US sent a warship, Russia did not.

India drew flak from the US and the rest of the West for not joining the clamour against Russia after the former Soviet Union nation launched its “special military operations” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

New Delhi has been maintaining a strategic balance in its ties with Moscow and Washington DC. India’s decades-old strategic partnership with and its dependence on the Soviet Union and its successor Russia for military hardware appeared to have stopped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government from speaking up against Moscow. India has also been circumventing sanctions imposed by the US and the rest of the West on Russia and continued bilateral trade. It has also increased oil and coal imports from Russia. Modi, however, told Putin in Samarkand in September 2022 that it was not an era of war, and the Moscow-Kyiv conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

India defied sanctions imposed by the US and European Union on Russia and continued its bilateral trade with the former Soviet Union nation. It also increased crude oil and coal imports from Russia, raising the hackles in Washington DC and the capitals of other nations.

The ‘harbour phase’ of ‘Milan 2024’ from Monday to Friday will include the International City Parade, International Maritime Seminar, Maritime Tech Expo, MILAN Village, subject matter expert exchange, and Tabletop Exercise. During the ‘sea phase’, participating navies will conduct advanced air defence, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare drills. Gunnery shoots on aerial and surface targets, manoeuvres and underway replenishment would also be conducted, stated the Indian Navy.