Indonesia and Russia conducted their first joint naval exercises on Monday, November 4, as part of President Prabowo Subianto's initiative to strengthen defense ties with Moscow. 

President Prabowo's commitment to playing a more prominent role on the global stage was evident during his visit to Moscow in July, where he held a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These exercises also demonstrate Indonesia's openness to expanding diplomatic and military partnerships with various countries, as expressed by the Indonesian Navy. 

Nevertheless, Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, choosing not to take sides in conflicts such as the one in Ukraine or the geopolitical competition between the United States and China.

Four Russian warships dock in Surabaya

Four Russian warships arrived in Surabaya on Sunday, November 3, for exercises that will last five days in two phases, from November 4 to 8, in the waters of the Java Sea near Surabaya, east of the capital, Jakarta. 

During the drills, Russia will deploy three corvette-class warships, a medium tanker, a military helicopter and a tugboat.

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First bilateral naval drills with Russia

Indonesia has consistently developed bilateral defense cooperation with various countries. One tangible manifestation of this cooperation is the organization of regular military exercises. 

Since 2006, the Super Garuda Shield joint exercise with the United States has become an annual program involving thousands of personnel from both nations. The 2024 edition, which will last for two weeks, marks an intensification of defense cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, although the ASEAN bloc, which includes Indonesia, held joint exercises with Russia in 2021, Jakarta has yet to conduct bilateral exercises with Moscow. 

Sergey Tolchenov, Russia's ambassador to Indonesia, said in an interview with TASS that the drills were "the first large-scale naval exercises between Russia and Indonesia."