Exercise INDRA 2026 concludes with the Indian Navy frigate INS Sahyadri sailing out of Vladivostok, the home port of Russia's Pacific Fleet, where it spent ten days training with the Russian Federation Navy.

The ship left on Tuesday, the Indian Navy said.

Exercise INDRA 2026 concludes after harbour and sea phases

The exercise ran in two parts, in harbour and then at sea. The harbour phase came first. Senior officers of the two navies held talks, and crews made cross-deck visits to each other's ships. Specialists from both sides met in Subject Matter Expert Exchanges. Officers also worked through operational synchronisation, settling how the ships would operate together once they put to sea. According to the Navy, these meetings allowed personnel to exchange views and compare operational practices.

Then the ships sailed.

Helicopter operations and casualty evacuation drills at sea

At sea, the units carried out coordinated manoeuvring and practised integrated communications between Indian and Russian ships. The programme also covered helicopter operations and medical evacuation drills. A Kamov helicopter was photographed landing on a ship's flight deck during this phase.

The Navy said these serials helped both sides work together more closely. A list of individual drills was not released, which is normal.

Sahyadri sailors play football at Vladivostok's Dynamo stadium

Away from the drills, a football team from INS Sahyadri took on a Russian side at the Dynamo stadium in Vladivostok. Players from both teams later posed together on the pitch with the Indian tricolour.

The frigate also welcomed local families on board during the harbour phase, and cultural events were held alongside the sports fixtures. The Navy said these meetings built camaraderie between the two crews and added to the long-standing naval ties between India and Russia.

INS Sahyadri reached Vladivostok on 10 October

The ship arrived at Vladivostok on 10 October, where Russian officers received it at the jetty. When the ship arrived, the exercise was scheduled from 13 to 18 October, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Exercise INDRA 2026 concludes a busy autumn for INS Sahyadri, a Shivalik class stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai and commissioned in 2012. In September the ship was at Subic Bay in the Philippines with INS Kulish for the ADMM-Plus Joint Cooperation Activity on maritime security. Both ships then stayed on for the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise, AIME-2026, before Sahyadri headed north across the Pacific to Russia's Far East.

INDRA was last held off Chennai in 2025

The previous edition took place in March and April 2025, at and off Chennai. INS Rana and INS Kuthar, with a P8I maritime patrol aircraft, sailed alongside Russian ships in the Bay of Bengal. The INDRA series began in 2003.

The Ministry of Defence has linked this year's deployment to MAHASAGAR, the government's vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, and to the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held in New Delhi in December 2025. In September, the Army Chief, General Dhiraj Seth, made an official visit to Russia and held talks at the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow.