This exercise on September 4 and 5, during the days when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Moscow, will involve three Russian warships and at least that many Indian warships

New Delhi: India has backed out of Kavkas, the multination military exercise in Russia this month. China and Pakistan are taking part, but there's also COVID.

Whatever the reason, India has had to say "no" to the hosts, Indian's closest defence partner: Russia. India and the Soviet Union have been close friends and everyone remembers the 1971 Soviet support during the Bangladesh war. So, India, aware that pulling out of Kavkas would be disappointing for the Russians, has invited the Russian Navy for a naval exercise in the Andaman Sea, close to the Straits of Malacca. And the Russians have accepted.

This exercise on September 4 and 5, during the days when defence minister Rajnath Singh will be in Moscow, will involve three Russian warships and at least that many Indian warships. Interestingly, it will be in the same area roughly where the Malabar exercise involving India, the United States of America, Japan and possibly, Australia, will take place in November.

This exercise isn't just another hastily arranged naval exercise, it is a message, primarily to China. Even if India isn't going to Kavkas, the links with Russia remain as strong as ever. Sure, there's tension in Ladakh. But that doesn't stop Russia and India from working closely together.