Russian Navy Delegation Visits Southern Naval Command, Indian Naval Academy

A six-member Russian Navy delegation led by Captain 1st Rank Sergei V. Saitov visited the Indian Navy's Southern Naval Command and the Indian Naval Academy in Kerala as part of efforts to further strengthen naval cooperation between the two countries.

The delegation's visit took place from September 27 to October 1, during which Russian officers were briefed on the Indian Navy's training framework and familiarised themselves with its training infrastructure, facilities and institutional arrangements.

The Indian Navy said discussions during the visit focused on expanding maritime cooperation, improving interoperability and strengthening professional and institutional links between the two navies.

The visit comes amid continued efforts by India and Russia to maintain and expand their longstanding defence relationship across multiple military domains.

India and Russia recently reiterated their commitment to their “special and privileged” strategic partnership during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York.

According to Russia's Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral strategic cooperation and coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, G20 and BRICS. Jaishankar said the meeting also covered ongoing international issues as well as bilateral and BRICS cooperation.

The latest naval engagement follows a visit to Russia last month by Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth. His three-day trip included meetings with senior Russian military officials and visits to key military institutions.

The visit was the first by an Indian Army Chief to Russia in eight years and focused on areas including joint capability development, training exchanges, operational experience and broader Army-to-Army cooperation.

During the visit, General Seth met Russian Deputy Defence Minister General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev.

The Indian Army said discussions covered ways to deepen military cooperation, expand training engagements and strengthen capability development between the two forces.

The latest Russian Navy delegation's visit adds another layer to the continuing defence exchanges between India and Russia, with both sides maintaining institutional engagements across their naval, army and broader strategic partnerships.