The joint exercise, which started last week, came as newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto pledged closer ties with Russia on defence, in a bid to forge links with any country as part of Jakarta's long-held non-aligned foreign policy.

The crews of the joint detachment of ships practiced manoeuvring and communication, as well as inspection of suspicious vessels, RIA reported, citing the press service of the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Training was also conducted to counter unmanned boats with firing from automatic artillery mounts and small arms. Deck helicopters were used to practice joint tasks, RIA reported. 

From the Russian side, the corvettes Gromkiy, Rezkiy, Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, and the medium sea tanker Pechenga participated in the drills. 

From the Indonesian side, the frigate I Gusti Ngurah Rai and the corvette Frans Kaisiepo took part, RIA reported. 

Analysts say the joint exercises signal Prabowo is beginning a significant foreign policy shift, pledging to boost Jakarta's alliances with major powers.

During a visit to the Kremlin in July, Prabowo -- a 73-year-old ex-general -- said he wanted to deepen the relationship with Russia. 

"We consider Russia as a great friend and I would like to continue to maintain and enhance this relationship," Prabowo told Putin.

The southeast Asian ASEAN bloc, which Indonesia is a member of, held joint exercises with Russia in 2021, but Jakarta had never held drills alone with Moscow before this week.

Jakarta has billion-dollar trade ties with Moscow, yet major arms imports have stalled in recent years after Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022.