At Vostok-22- why is India not joining naval drill?

Subject :Defense

From September 1-7, Russia is holding annual military exercises in its eastern region, with about 13 countries including India and China sending contingents.
They include a maritime component near the disputed islands of South Kuril, claimed by both Russia and Japan.

Who is taking part in Vostok-22?

The countries that have sent military contingents are Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and Tajikistan, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence
However, India has only sent its army contingent of the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles, and will nottake part in the maritime section of the two-part event. This is because, while the first part of the land exercises will be held in Russian military training grounds in Siberia and the Far Eastern Federal District, the maritime part of the exercises would be held in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, near the disputed South Kuril islands. Japan’s Foreign Ministry issued a demarche calling on Russia to move the location of its maritime exercises, which the Russian Ambassador in Tokyo rejected, and India’s decision not to take part in the naval exercises is believed to be in deference to Tokyo’s sensitivities.

What does India’s participation mean and what is the likely impact?

By sending an army contingent to join Russian and Chinese troops in the exercises at this time, New Delhi is aiming to send a four-pronged message. The first is its continuing relationship with Russia despite the Ukraine war
The second is to signal balance and non-alignment in the current crisis, given India has mostly abstained from votes at the United Nations seeking to criticise Russia.
India also takes part in routine Indo-Pacific exercises with its Western partners including the Quad, as well as in bilateral exercises, like the India-U.S. “YudhAbhyas” in Uttarakhand next month. These exercises will take place just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in September, where he will participate alongside leaders of Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, who have sent contingents for Vostok-22 as well.
Third, by staying away from the maritime exercises, New Delhi has shown both its sensitivity to Japan’s concerns on maintaining the status quo over the disputed islands as well as stressing the importance of territorial sovereignty and integrity for India.
Finally, the message the government continues to give is that it is willing to engage with China on a number of fronts, even as military talks with China at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) remain stuck.

Other Exercises of India and Russia:

Other Exercises of India and USA: