Four Russian warships dock in Surabaya for Orruda Joint Training

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Four Russian warships docked in Surabaya, East Java, to take part in the 2024 Orruda Joint Training with two Indonesian warships KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-368 and KRI Frans Kaisiepo-368 on November 4-8.

Head of Information Service of the TNI Fleet II Navy Command, Colonel Widyo Sasongko, stated on Monday that the Russian Navy sent two corvettes, RFS Gromky and RFS Aldar Tsydenzhapov; one RFS Rezkiy Fegat; one medium tanker RFS Pechenga; one KA-27 helicopter; and one tug salvage Alatau.

"The Russian Navy ships docked at the North Jamrud Pier, Perak Harbor, Surabaya, since Sunday. They would join our Orruda Joint Training," Sasongko remarked.

Those Russian warships were welcomed by Commander of the Main Base of the Surabaya Navy, Commodore Arya Delano, accompanied by Deputy Commander of the Orruda Joint Training Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Rivo Havilland.

During his remarks, Delano said the joint exercise symbolizes the sound relations between the Indonesian Navy and the Russian Navy.

Meanwhile, COTG Captain Aleksei Antsiferov, who represented the Russian Navy delegation, considered the joint training a good opportunity to test the readiness of soldiers from the two parties.

He noted that the joint training also accommodates the exchange of experiences and skills and strengthens the friendship between the Indonesian Navy and the Russian Navy.

The 2024 Orruda Joint Training held in Surabaya waters was a follow-up to the meeting of the Indonesian Navy and the Russian Navy in the Navy-to-Navy Talk in 2018. This exercise was the first training held by the two parties.

Apart from mobilizing two warships, the Indonesian Navy also deployed an anti-submarine helicopter, the US565 MBE Panther.

The 2024 Orruda Joint Training consists of the harbor phase and sea phase.