Date:18/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/18/stories/2005101816111200.htm

National

Joint exercises in Visakhapatnam

Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM: : The three-day joint exercises by the Indian and Russian navies, `INDRA,' commenced on Monday.

The Defence Ministers of India and Russia, Pranab Mukherjee and Sergei Ivanov, scheduled to be present the inaugural ceremony, could not reach the city as the airport is still water-logged, due to the heavy rains on Friday and Saturday. Russian and Indian ships set sail out of the harbour here today morning.

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet, Sergey Vickorovich Avramenko, embarked on Varyag, a battle cruiser.