Wargames in Uttarakhand

Russian and Indian mountain troops have been conducting a joint exercise in the state:

Over 200 elite Russian mountain troops have been participating with their Indian counterparts in anti-terror 'INDRA-2010' wargames that is being scheduled for October 15-24 in Uttarakhand. Indian and Russian armed forces have been carrying out joint wargames since 2003 on biannual basis. The crack troops of the North Caucasus-based 34th Independent Mountain Brigade of the Russian Army will flew to Bareilly on board military Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, from where they took road to Chaubattia near Ranikhet, the base of Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army. "For the exercise, the Russian and Indian military personnel have formed a joint task force, and plan and carry out a series of mock anti-terrorism missions in the mountains," the spokesman for the North-Caucasus Military Area, Lt Col Andrei Bobrun, said.

The Russian troops are equipped with their latest automatic weapons for mountain warfare and lightweight Permyachka Infantry Suits, which protect at least 80 per cent of the body surface from small-calibre bullets and low-speed shrapnel. Both India and Russia have a rich experience in carrying out anti-militancy and anti-terror operations in mountains and the exchange of experience between their armed forces is extremely important, the Defence Ministry officials here said. In the past, Indian and Russian navies and paratroopers have carried out joint wargames in the two countries with the aim of honing skills in combined operations against sea pirates and terrorists.