By Nadeem Badshah,Steven White
Copyright dailystar
India has joined forces with Mad Vladimir Putin. The superpower sent troops to join Kremlin-led drills that are rehearsing war with Nato neighbours . Around 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers are training in ballistic missile launches and airstrikes as part of their Zapad-2025 military exercises. Indian defence chiefs said it dispatched 65 squaddies to the Mulino training ground, near Nizhny Novgorod, to “further strengthen defence co-operation and foster camaraderie between India and Russia , thereby reinforcing the spirit of collaboration and mutual trust”. It added that the troops would be involved in “joint training, tactical drills and special arms skills”. And the move has sent shockwaves around the globe . Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, however, said that India had “crossed a red line”. It comes as Nato is beefing up its air defences after 21 Russian drones violated Polish airspace last week, while another flew across the Romanian border with Ukraine last weekend. David Merkel, a consultant and former head of the Europe and Eurasia divisions of the US State Department, said: “[It] demonstrates the priority New Delhi places on its relations with Moscow, something [PM Narendra] Modi is leaning on more given the uncertainty of his relationship with President Trump.” India has a history of close military ties with Moscow and is one of the biggest buyers of Russian arms. It took part in joint training exercises before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and attended other Russian war games since then. Meanwhile, relations between the South Asian country and the US are tense after Donald Trump whacked a 50% tariff on Indian goods. The US president also bragged about helping to end the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May. Back in Russia, Mad Vlad himself visited Zapad-2025 dressed head to toe in military clobber. The 72-year-old Kremlin dictator was spotted strutting around a training site in the Nizhny Novgorod region, about 500 miles from the nearest real fighting, in full fatigues and a pair of Strekoza tactical shades. He told a crowd of foreign observers and participants: “I would like to thank you for your participation.” Mad Vlad went on bragging: “100,000 servicemen are participating, about 10,000 weapons and equipment systems,” before adding, “333 tactical aviation, strategic aviation aircraft and military transport planes.” More than 247 ships, submarines and support vessels are said to be involved, as well as 25 foreign delegations who turned up to watch the Kremlin’s war games unfold. Putin insisted the drills were about “restoring trust” – though eyebrows were raised at his idea of peacemaking involving simulated attacks on Nato. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
