Russia-Ukraine conflict: India needs to be ready for future wars, says Gen MM Naravane

General MM Naravane said that the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia shows that a conventional war could happen and India needs to be ready for future wars.

New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General M M Naravane said on Tuesday that the “biggest lesson that we can learn from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is that India needs to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons.”

General Naravane said that the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia shows that a conventional war could happen. In response to a question on the sidelines of an event here, he underlined that the war between Russia and the eastern European country was being fought in a physical domain.

Is the war being fought in cyberspace or through air-conditioned chambers, he rhetorically asked, adding that this war shows that a "conventional war could happen". "The war we are seeing is being fought physically on the ground," the Army chief said.

"So, a conventional war could happen. And, we have to be operationally ready," Naravane said when asked what the biggest lesson from the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war was.

“There are many lessons that can be learnt from the ongoing Ukraine-Russian War. The crisis shows that wars can happen any time & we've to remain prepared for them. The wars wouldn't just be non-kinetic and would be fought in the physical domain also,” the Army Chief said.

Biggest lesson is we've to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons.Steps towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence have to be taken more urgently. Wars of future should be fought with own weapon systems: Army chief to ANI on lessons for India from #UkraineRussianCrisis pic.twitter.com/XUMLO91zCm — ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2022

Russia started a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24 this year. According to United Nations' estimate, around 2 million refugees have sought shelter in neighbouring countries of Ukraine over the last 12 days.