Table of Contents

The Indo-Russia relationship is called as “all-weather friendship.” Indian always enjoyed a very close friendship ties with the USSR. The USSR got disintegrated in 1991 and Russia became its successor. Russia inherited the seat of USSR in the UN Security Council. USSR was composed of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgiziya, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Russia has been a longstanding and time-tested partner for India. Development of India-Russia relations has been a key pillar of India's foreign policy. Soviet support for India on key issues like Kashmir and Goa’s liberation reflected shared strategic interests. The 1971 Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation was pivotal during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Since the signing of the “Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000 (during the visit of President Putin), India-Russia ties have acquired a qualitatively new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all areas, including political, security, defence, trade and economy, science & technology, culture, and people-to-people ties. During the visit of the Russian President to India in December 2010, the Strategic Partnership was elevated to the level of “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.”

Areas of Cooperation / Bilateral Relations

Areas of cooperation between any two countries can be of various aspects such as political, economic, defence, trade, cultural etc.

Political Cooperation

Russia supports India’s candidature on the UNSC permanent seat. Both are permanent members of BRICS and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). Russia has always been supporting India’s stand on Kashmir issue and Terrorism. The Annual Summit between the Prime Minister of India and the President of the Russian Federation is the highest institutionalized dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between India and Russia.

Trade and Economic Cooperation

The primary mechanism at the government level for enhancing trade and economic cooperation is the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific & Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), co-chaired by EAM from the Indian side and First DPM Denis Manturov from the Russian side. Intensifying the trade and economic relations has been identified as a priority area by both the leaders who had set the targets of increasing bilateral investment to $50 billion (by 2025) and bilateral trade to $100 billion (by 2030). Bilateral trade between India and Russia reached a record high of USD 68.7 billion in FY 2024-25.

  • Major export items from India include - pharmaceuticals, organic and inorganic chemicals, iron & steel and marine products.
  • Major import items from Russia include - oil and petroleum products, vegetable oil (particularly sunflower oil), fertilizers, coking coal, precious stones and metals.

India has been receiving military hardware, components of IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, non-conventional energy etc.  from Russia. It has got a stake in Sakhalin known for huge reserves of natural gas and oil. India's stake in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia is held by ONGC Videsh Ltd., the overseas investment arm of India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). ONGC Videsh owns a 20% participating interest in the project. The Sakhalin-1 project involves developing offshore oil and gas fields off the east coast of Sakhalin Island.

The fact that India-Russia do not have a free trade agreement is one of the reasons why their economic cooperation is not well developed. The major bilateral investments by Russia in India are in the oil and gas, petrochemicals, banking, railways and steel sectors, while Indian investments in Russia are mainly in oil and gas and pharmaceuticals sectors. The Rupee-Ruble trade mechanism and FTA negotiations with Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) reflect this shift.

India-Russia connectivity projects like International North-South Transport Corridor and Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor bypass traditional routes, reducing dependency on volatile maritime chokepoints.  These routes enhance logistical efficiency and reduce trade time. INSTC cuts shipping time by 40%, while the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor reduces transit days from 40 to 24, boosting bilateral trade efficiency.

Defence Cooperation

India has longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Russia in the field of defence. India-Russia military technical cooperation has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems.

An India-Russia cooperation agreement was signed in December 1988. It has resulted in the sale of a multitude of defence equipment to India and also the emergence of the countries as ‘development partners’ as opposed to purely a ‘buyer-seller relationship.

Raksha Mantri and Russian Defence Minister co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).

India and Russia have several major joint military programmes including:

  1. Brahmos Cruise Missile programme
  2. 5th generation fighter jet programme
  3. Sukhoi Su – 30 MKI programme
  4. Ilyushin/HAL Tactical Transport Aircraft

Around more than 70% of India’s military hardware has come from Russia either under selling and purchasing relationship or under co-development relationship. The biggest achievement of India-Russia defence cooperation is the Brahmos Missile which India has developed under joint cooperation and joint production having a range of 290 km. Russia still supplies 45% of India’s defence imports, despite India diversifying to other suppliers like France and Israel.

India – Russia Joint Exercise:

  1. Indra – a joint biannual defence exercise. It is conducted in all three formats – army, navy and air force.
  2. Farkhor Airbase – this airbase based in Tajikistan is jointly operated by India and Russia.

Science and Technology Cooperation

India & Russia work together on basic sciences, materials science, mathematics and cutting-edge areas like India’s manned spaceflight program (Gaganyaan), nanotechnologies etc.

India’s only nuclear power plant established with another country is in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu which is established in collaboration with Russia. Russian assistance in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant continues to be a cornerstone of the partnership. 

In 2024, India and Russia expanded the Make in India initiative to include joint production of high-speed electric trains for Indian Railways. In 2024, India and Russia renewed commitments to cooperate on advanced space research, including lunar and human space missions.

Partnerships on GLONASS satellite navigation demonstrate high-tech synergy.

Education Perspective

Cooperation between India and Russia in the field of education is multifaceted and longstanding in nature. Presence of Indian students in Russian institutes for courses in disciplines such as medicine, engineering, economics, sciences and other subjects. Medical students comprise the largest group among Indian students studying in Russia. Indology is taught in several Russian universities apart from Indian languages such as Hindi and Sanskrit. At the school-level, the Atal Innovation Mission of India and SIRIUS Centre work together as part of an initiative envisioned by Prime Minister and President Putin.

In context of collaboration in higher education including between universities/institutes, the following main mechanisms are playing an active role - Educational Exchange Programme (EEP) between the two governments, Network of Higher Education Institutions of India and Russia (known as the RIN), Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), and the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) programme.

Cultural Cooperation

India and Russia have deep and historic cultural linkages. Various writers, philosophers, thinkers and artists have mutual influence on each other’s art, culture and societies. The Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNCC), Moscow, maintains close cooperation with leading Russian institutions. Indian cinema which was especially popular in the Soviet period has continued to do so with screenings in most major cities and urban centres. Yoga is also immensely popular across Russia.

Multilateral Cooperation

India and Russia cooperate closely at several multilateral platforms such as the UN, G20, BRICS & SCO. This cooperation has been strengthened further through regular exchanges and mutual support during India’s Presidencies of the G20 and SCO in 2023 and Russia’s BRICS Presidency in 2024. Russia has consistently expressed support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Challenges faced by India in navigating relations with Russia

There are various aspects which proves to be an obstacle/create hindrance in Indo-Russia relations. Some major issues are as follows:

  1. The Asian Geo-Politics – Under the US Pivot to Asia Policy, US is deploying more than 60% of its arms strength in the Indian Ocean region simply to counter the rising Chinese influence. Under this policy, India and Japan are being promoted stand up against the Chinese hegemony in in the Asia Pacific region. In response to such approach of the USA, Russia has taken a stand to support China against the USA interference in South-China and East-China Sea.
  2. In 2009, India went for MMRCA (Multi Model Role Combat Aircraft) bidding. The contract was awarded to the Dassault Company of France which was manufacturing Rafale, instead to the Russian company. This incidence annoyed Russia against India.
  3. Russia had agreed to cooperate with Pakistan in combating terrorism and providing counter insurgency and counter terrorism strategy to Pakistan. Certainly India showed unhappiness with Russia over its new defence cooperation agreement with Pakistan which marks a significant shift from the past.
  4. Balancing Ties with the West and Russia - India’s growing ties with the US and EU, especially through platforms like Quad and trade agreements negotiations with EU and UK, complicate its relationship with Russia. Western pressure on India to align with sanctions against Russia puts its strategic autonomy at stake. 
  5. Managing the Trade Deficit - India’s trade with Russia is heavily skewed, with imports (mostly oil and fertilizers) vastly outpacing exports, leading to a significant trade imbalance. Limited diversification of exports compounds the issue. 
  6. Financial and Logistical Challenges - Western sanctions on Russia complicate financial transactions, investments, and logistics for India-Russia trade, increasing costs and uncertainty.  Mechanisms like the Rupee-Ruble trade face implementation challenges.
  7. Multilateral Pressure and Abstinence from Voting - India’s balancing act is strained by divergent stances on global crises like Ukraine, where India’s neutral position contrasts with expectations of Multilateral Institutions like the United Nation Security Council.
  8. Geopolitical Uncertainty in Central Asia: India’s strategic initiatives, such as INSTC, depend on stable connectivity through Central Asia, a region getting recently influenced heavily by Chinese presence. 

Conclusion

The India-Russia relationship is a cornerstone of India's strategic foreign policy amid shifting global order. While the partnership continues to thrive in areas like defence, energy, and multilateral diplomacy, challenges such as trade imbalances, logistical hurdles, and Russia’s growing proximity to China require careful navigation. By diversifying economic ties, enhancing connectivity, and promoting joint ventures in emerging sectors, India can ensure that its relationship with Russia remains robust and contributes positively to global diplomacy.

In the past two years, the bilateral trade has expanded significantly. There are discussions on ways to increase exports from India as well as developing new models of cooperation. Both countries are also looking to strengthen inter-regional cooperation, especially with the Russian Far East and promote connectivity initiatives like the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor and the Northern Sea Route. There is a synergy between Russia’s pivot to the East, its resources and technology and India’s own flagship initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.