The Russian and Indian militaries have begun physically relocating the Central Military District training ground in the Chelyabinsk Region three feet to the left, in what defense officials describe as a necessary first step toward «operational compatibility» during the Indra-2026 exercises.
«We found that our maps were offset by approximately one meter from the Indians' maps,» said a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman. «So we are moving the ground itself. It is the only way to achieve true coordination.» The 90th Guards Tank Division has been assigned to the relocation, which is expected to conclude by October 23, the scheduled end of the land phase.
In Vladivostok, the naval component has expanded to include draining the Sea of Japan to a depth of four meters so that crews of the corvette Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and the Indian frigate INS Sahyadri can conduct boarding drills on foot. «The mock terrorists have agreed to stand in the exposed seabed,» an official said. «They are being very cooperative.»
The air component now requires every Su-30SM crew to fly the entire exercise twice — once in each direction — to ensure that no pilot has an unfair geographic advantage. Mi-8 helicopter crews will insert special forces into difficult terrain, then remove the terrain and insert it back, to practice both insertion and extraction.
Russian and Indian officials said the expanded drills will contribute to stability in the Asia-Pacific region, which is currently being measured for similar adjustments.