Putin’s play for an Indonesian airbase was always likely to fail – but Russia has wider ambitions

Moscow has sought permanent basing rights for its planes at Indonesia’s Biak airfield in Papua for almost half a century – and not once has it won approval. Indonesia has enshrined in its constitution a commitment to a “free and independent” foreign policy, which is premised on non-alignment. Indonesia and Russia held their first joint naval drills last year, while President Prabowo Subianto visited Moscow last October. Russia has successfully locked in other countries to such long-standing partnerships, but it has struggled to replicate that success in South-east Asia. “This is a known play from Russia,” said Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of the UK-based Calibre Defence news and consultancy.