Narendra Modi has sent troops to take part in the Zapad exercises rehearsing conflict with neighbouring Nato countries as relations with the US unravel
About 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers are conducting the Zapad exercise, which includes ballistic missile launches and simulated airstrikes, across a broad area of territory from bases east of Moscow and in the Arctic to the Baltic Sea and the western frontier of Belarus, near Poland and Lithuania.The Indian defence ministry said it had dispatched 65 personnel, including elements of the Kumaon Regiment, one of the army’s most revered units.
India, which has consistently refrained from aligning itself with great powers since the early days of the Cold War, has a long history of military integration with Moscow and is traditionally one of the biggest customers for Russian arms.
It took part in previous Zapad exercises before the all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has attended a handful of other Russian war games since then.
However, analysts said its decision to join the present war game at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and Nato was a disconcerting signal.
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