India crossed ‘red line’ with participation in Russia-Belarus drills – Times

India has crossed a “red line” by sending troops to participate in Russia-Belarus military drills at a time when New Delhi’s relations with the US are unravelling, The Times has cited Western military analysts as claiming.

Around 30,000 military personnel from Russia and Belarus are taking part in the Zapad-2025 drills, which include ballistic missile launches and simulated airstrikes. The drills are being conducted in a wide area from bases east of Moscow to western Belarus, near the country’s borders with Poland and Lithuania.

New Delhi has sent 65 military personnel to take part, who are now at the Mulino training ground near the Russian city of Nizhny-Novgorod, according to the Indian Defense Ministry.

“Participation in Exercise ZAPAD 2025 will further strengthen defense cooperation and foster camaraderie between India and Russia, thereby reinforcing the spirit of collaboration and mutual trust,” the ministry said. 

While India has participated in previous Zapad exercises and Russian-led drills, its involvement in this year’s edition during heightened tensions between Russia and NATO raises concerns, according to The Times. 

Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, claimed to The Times that India has “crossed a red line.”

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David Merkel, an American geostrategic consultant and former deputy assistant secretary of state, told the paper that “India’s active participation in the Zapad exercise, following the drone incursion on Poland and chilling relations between Washington and New Delhi, raises concerns about the future extent of the US-India security relationship.”

“[It] demonstrates the priority New Delhi places on its relations with Moscow, something [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi is leaning on more given the uncertainty of his relationship with [US] President [Donald] Trump,” he added.

Merkel’s comments came on the same day that the US sent military officials to observe the drills in Belarus. The US military attaché in Minsk thanked the Belarusian defense minister for the invitation to witness the drills.

India, which has followed a policy of non-alignment since the Cold War, has a longstanding record of military cooperation with Russia and remains one of Moscow’s biggest arms buyers.

Both Russia and Belarus have repeatedly stated that the Zapad-2025 exercises are not targeted at any particular country or group of countries.