Moscow: The joint Indo-Russia Naval exercises in the Indian Ocean next month (May) are not linked to the US-led war in Iraq, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said on April 4.

India and Russia had planned war-games of their Navies "much before" the Iraq war, he said in the Belarus capital Minsk, ITAR-TASS reported.

Russia is sending its several warships of the Black Sea and Pacific Fleets, and three nuclear submarines of the Northern Fleet to the Indian Ocean for the first time since the break up of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

During Defence Minister George Fernandes' Moscow visit in January, the two countries had agreed to hold their first-ever joint Naval war games in May.

The Russian Defence Minister declined to comment on the local media reports about presence of tactical nuclear missiles on board of the battleship sailing to the Indian Ocean.

"No military ever comments on this," Ivanov said.

According to the Russia-US agreement, ships are not allowed to carry tactical (short- range) nuclear missiles in peacetime.

PTI