Exercise ZAPAD 2025:The News
On September 9, 2025, a 65 member tri-service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces departed for Russia to participate in the multilateral Exercise ZAPAD 2025. The drill, conducted in western Russia, involves some other invited countries and is aimed at fighting international terrorism, joint operations and good cooperation between armed forces.
For India, participation in ZAPAD has to do with India’s policy of defence diplomacy and its relationship with long standing partner Russia, even furthering their role in multilateral security establishments.
About Exercise ZAPAD
ZAPAD definition What does ZAPAD mean?
Host country: Russia, held in the Western Military District.
Participants: Several countries represented, with India’s participation as a perception of continuing defence cooperation.
Focus Areas:
Counter-terrorism operations
Peacekeeping missions under UN mandate
Joint operational planning
Intelligence sharing and logistics coordination
India also took part in ZAPAD 2021, in which contingents from more than a dozen nations participated.
🇮🇳 India’s Role at ZAPAD 2025
Contingent: 65 – from the Army, Navy and AirForce.
Training goals To improve interoperability, combat readiness and multi-domain operations coordination.
Diplomatic Angle : Strengthens India’s stance of having joint manoeuvres with the Western and Eastern blocs, showcasing its strategic autonomy.
Strategic Importance
India-Russia Defence Ties:
Russia is still an important supplier of defence (S-400 systems, nuclear submarines, BrahMos).
Military drills enhance operational familiarity of the two forces.
Multilateral Engagement:
ZAPAD introduces a wide range of militaries that offer India opportunity to understand different operational doctrines.
Counter-Terrorism Focus:
Amid global terrorism, such kind of events enhance India’s counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations.
Strategic Autonomy:
India has indeed been working to boost its relations with the US and Quad, at the same time it continues to have military relations with Russia, a testimony of a balanced foreign policy.
Recent Military Drills With India
Indra (India-Russia Bilateral Exercise): Counter-terrorism and maritime security.
Vostok (Russian East Exercise): India has taken part in this exercise before, along with China and Mongolia.
Malabar (India-US-Japan-Australia): Strengthens Indo-Pacific security.
Hand-in-Hand (India–China): Counter-terrorism and anti-insurgency and disaster relief.
UPSC Note: These exercises underscore India’s multi-alignment policy in which it does not make a friend in any country, but keeps friends in regions.
Challenges & Criticism
India faced a much more complicated defence equation because of Russia’s growing ties with China and Pakistan.
Western partners keep a close eye on India’s Russia engagement in the backdrop of Ukraine war dynamics.
The sheer logistics, and the expense, often make India’s role one at the margins.
Way Forward
Keep up many-sided engagement and secure national interests of security.
Demand for joint defence production with Russia as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Leverage exercises such as ZAPAD for the exchange of knowledge, training, and tactical learning.
UPSC Relevance
Prelims:
ZAPAD Exercise: Host Nation, Focus Areas.
Other India-Russia exercises Indra and Avia Indra.
Mains (GS Paper III – Security & IR): Addressing Mis-perception Counterclaims: Mis-perception What?
Relevance of joint military exercises in India’s defence diplomacy.
India-Russia Defence ties in the backdrop of a shifting world order.
Navigating India’s ties between U.S.-led blocs and Russia.
Conclusion
ZAPAD 2025 is demonstration of India’s resolve towards enhancing defence preparedness and strategic partnerships. India, through such participation with Russia and various other nations, predilects very well its defence diplomacy, strategic autonomy and preparing for global security challenges. For UPCSC aspirants, the study of Military diplomacy is an example of how Military diplomacy Is supplementing India’s foreign policy to achieve national security.
Previous Year UPSC Questions (PYQs)
Prelims
2016:
“Consider the following pairs of military exercises and participant countries:
Garuda Shakti – India and Indonesia
Hand-in-Hand – India and China
Yudh Abhyas – India and USA
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?”
Answer: All three.2019:
“Which of the following exercises are conducted between India and Russia?
(a) Indra
(b) Avia Indra
(c) Both a and b
(d) Neither a nor b”
Answer: (c) Both a and b.
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