Indian Armed Forces Participate in Multilateral Ex Zapad 2025 in Russia

An Indian armed forces contingent comprising 65 personnel participated in the multilateral joint military exercise ZAPAD 2025, held at the Mulino Training Ground, Nizhniy, Russia from 10 to 16 September 2025.

The contingent comprised 57 Indian Army personnel, led by a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, along with seven personnel from the Indian Air Force and one from the Indian Navy. The multilateral Exercise ZAPAD 2025 was aimed at enhancing military cooperation, improving interoperability, and providing a platform for participating armies to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures in the domains of conventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations.

The exercise focussed on joint company level operations in open and plain terrain, wherein troops undertook missions ranging from joint planning, tactical drills, and special arms skills. It offered a valuable opportunity to hone joint operational capabilities, integrate emerging technologies, and operate in a multinational combat environment.

Apart from Russia and India, the other participating nations were Belarus, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Congo, Mali, Iran, Niger and Tajikistan. Cambodia, China, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Serbia, Thailand, the UAE and Uzbekistan were observers.