Indonesia, Russia kick off first joint naval drills

The navies of Indonesia and Russia began their first joint military exercises in the Java Sea on Monday, the Indonesian navy said.

The drills will take place in the Java Sea near the Indonesian city of Surabaya until Friday, after Russian warships arrived on site on Sunday. Russia has sent three corvette-class warships, a medium tanker, a military helicopter and a tugboat. "Russian warships came from afar to Indonesia and conducted joint exercises for the first time that seek to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries, especially the navies," the Indonesian navy commander said.

A representative of the Russian delegation as saying that the exercise was designed for the two navies to exchange knowledge.