Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
INDO RUSSIA image by Atrishekhar - Coggle Diagram
INDO RUSSIA
by Atrishekhar
BACKGROUND
Stalin’s attitude tepid relations
beginnings of an economic relationship after Stalin
mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Post-independence Soviet Union invested in several new enterprises
1960 de-Stalinization & rift between China and Russia,
1962 war- The relationship further consolidated
Treaty of Peace and Friendship in August 1971-
1990s- The nineties were a tumultuous period for both
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in January 1993
Military-Technical Cooperation agreement in 1994
2000 Strategic Partnership
Strategic partnership institutionalized annual meetings
Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership
While India and the USSR did not share a similar ideology or outlook towards global politics, they had common concerns. India had cause to worry with the US-Pakistan bonhomie, while the Soviet Union saw the US as an implacable foe.
In the 1960s the deterioration of relations of both countries with China brought them closer.
The Soviet Union would emerge as a critical partner for India, using its veto power multiple times at the UN Security Council on issues related to Goa, Kashmir, and Bangladesh.
India reciprocated by abstaining in the vote against USSR during the Hungary crisis in 1956, and Czechoslovakia in 1968.
IMPORTANCE
as one of the great powers
rich natural resources
science and technology
civilisation uniqueness
Champion of multipolarism
avoiding US-China bipolarity
major source of weaponry and technology transfer
Defence partner of India-
COPERATION
Energy Security
ONGC has invested nearly $3 billion in the fields of Sakhalin, while Rosneft has invested in India
Indian consortium is also present in the Siberian Arctic
Russia has been developing the Kudankulam site in Indian Far South
"launching joint projects on exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Arctic shelf
Bangladesh with its Rooppur NPP project
Russia have one of the world's largest reserves of natural gas
Putin agreed to set up 12 new nuclear plants in India
LATEST IN ENERGY
President Putin guaranteed "uninterrupted" supplies of crude oil, LNG, and coal to India, a challenge to Western sanctions and the G7 price cap mechanism.
Russia has become India's largest oil supplier, with discounted Russian crude helping the Indian economy amidst global inflation shocks. India imports around 37% of its crude oil from Russia, making this partnership vital.
The summit discussions extended to securing equity stakes in upstream projects like the Vostok Oil project in the Arctic, which would hedge India against future price volatility.
Russia committed to adhering to timelines for Units 3-6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, and both sides agreed to expedite identification of a second site for Russian-designed reactors in India.
Discussions also covered Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and floating nuclear power plants, technologies with export potential to developing nations.
GEOPOLITICAL
Northern Sea Route
By training Indian seafarers for polar operations and engaging in joint shipbuilding of ice-class vessels, India ensures it is not excluded from future Arctic logistics, a region where China has declared itself a "near-Arctic state."
Support from Russia to India at multilateral bodies
permanent members of the Security Council,
India and Russia also support each other on sensitive issues
2014, New Delhi declared that it understood Russia's "legitimate interests"
barely commented on Syrian affairs
Moscow, it reaffirmed at a very early stage that Kashmir was "a bilateral issue"
BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the RIC
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US-led military bloc NATO of attempting to make “overtures” to India to create “additional problems’ in India’s already strained relations with China
Russia and Iran are reportedly planning on a trade route with India amid sanctions by the U.S.-led European countries- countermeasures amid the western push for 'friendshoring' - an effort to relocate supply chains to allies
The INSTC Is Nothing but a Russia-Iran Trade Corridor Conceived in 2000 but unfinished, the INSTC is being viewed by both countries as a solution to Western isolation.
the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometer network of road, rail, and shipping routes designed to move freight between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.
The signing of an MoU on "Training of Specialists for Ships Operating in Polar Waters" operationalizes India's Arctic strategy. As climate change renders the Northern Sea Route navigable for longer periods, this corridor offers a route between Europe and Asia that is 40% shorter than the Suez Canal passage.
TRADE AND CONNECTIVITY
Main exports- Russia's main exports to the world consist of energy-oil, gas, nuclear-and arms sales
Trade Composition: Russia's main exports to India include crude and refined petroleum and coal briquettes, while India's key exports consist of packaged medicaments, crustaceans, and stainless steel.
could open new vistas for India, like the India Russia-Vietnam trilateral cooperation
Also, proposal for maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok has been made.
India participated in Eastern Economic Forum (2020) which aims to support the economic development of Russia's resource rich Far East.
India has extended a $1 billion line of credit for the development of this region
India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was started in 2018
Bilateral Trade: For FY 2023-24, bilateral trade hit a record $65.70 billion, and the two countries have set a target of $100 billion in trade by 2030, including the use of national currencies to circumvent Western sanctions.
Trade Imbalance: The Ukraine war has altered trade dynamics, making Russia India's top oil supplier and resulting in a trade deficit for India.
Rise in Imports of Gas and Oil: India's imports of Russian oil and gas have increased significantly in recent years, particularly since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia became India's biggest supplier of crude oil
Sectoral Diversification: Moving beyond traditional commodities to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals, manufacturing etc. Russian markets are opening to Indian potatoes, pomegranates, and processed foods.
Free Trade Agreement: Both nations have intensified negotiations for an FTA between India and the Eurasian Economic Union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan), which would reduce tariff barriers and make Indian manufactured goods competitive in these markets.
Critical Minerals Cooperation: Both sides expressed interest in deepening collaboration in exploration, processing, and recycling technologies of critical minerals and rare earths, recognizing their strategic importance for emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing.
President Putin revealed that 96% of bilateral transactions now occur in national currencies (Rupees and Rubles), marking a decoupling from the US dollar. Both nations are working on linking their financial messaging systems such as India's SFMS (Structured Financial Messaging System) and Russia's SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages) to bypass SWIFT sanctions, while exploring interoperability between RuPay and Mir payment cards.
DEFENCE
45 percent of total arms imports by India, followed by Israel and the US at 15 and 12 percent
2010-14 when Russia had a share of 70 percent
It leased Akula class submarine to India
S-400 deal despite US reservations and CAATSA
an important Partner in Brahmos missile
first-ever Tri-Services exercise –‘INDRA 2017
Sukhoi Su-30MKI programme
Ilyushin/HAL Tactical Transport Aircraft
KA-226T twin-engine utility helicopters
T-90S Bhishma
INS Vikramaditya
Nine of the fourteen conventional submarines operated by India are Russian
India has started to manufacture the iconic Kalashnikov assault rifles in partnership with Russia from the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. The first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles will be delivered to the Indian army with a possibility of being exported to a third country as well.
Key Agreements and Initiatives:INDO RUSSIA SUMMIT 2024
• Trade and Economic Partnership: Both countries set a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030. They also signed a program for cooperation in trade, economic, and investment spheres in the Russian Far East for 2024-2029
• Military Cooperation: Agreements were made to boost joint manufacturing in India of spare parts and components for Russian-origin arms and defense equipment under the Make-in-India program
• Bilateral Settlement System: Promotion of a bilateral settlement system using national currencies was agreed upon
• New Consulates: India will open two new consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg to facilitate services for the growing Indian community in Russia
INDO RUSSIA SUMMIT 20205
Russian Duma ratified the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) agreement. This arrangement grants both nations' armed forces access to each other's military facilities for refueling, repair, and replenishment.
Discussions covered expedited delivery of remaining S-400 missile system squadrons and talks on the S-500 missile system, Russia's next-generation air defense platform. This demonstrates Russia's readiness to share its military technology with India.
The partnership has shifted from a traditional buyer–seller model to defence co-production under ‘Make in India,’ with joint ventures for manufacturing spare parts, components, and systems within India.
For India, RELOS opens strategic access to Russian naval bases in the Arctic (Murmansk) and Pacific (Vladivostok), enabling the Indian Navy to project power in regions beyond its operational reach. This is significant given India's interest in the Northern Sea Route and the need to balance China's Arctic ambitions.
SCIENCE & TECH
Gaganyaan Project
GLONASS
ARTIC
ISS &India is in preparation for its first manned space mission
The India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific & Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) is the main government-level mechanism for promoting trade and economic cooperation.
POST UKRAINE CONFLICT
GENEVA CONVENTIONS AND RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian troops were accused of violating Geneva conventions in ongoing war.
Second • Protects wounded, sick and shipwrecked military personnel at sea during war. • Also extends to hospital ships and medical transports by sea.
Third • Applies to prisoners of war, including a wide range of general protections such as humane treatment, maintenance, and equality across prisoners etc.
Fourth • Protects civilians, including those in occupied territory.
Three Additional Protocols
Protocol I and II • They strengthen the protection of victims of international (Protocol I) and non-international (Protocol II) armed conflicts and place limits on the way wars are fought.
Protocol III - Created an additional emblem, the Red Crystal, which has the same international status as the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems.
o Three Protocols have been ratified by 174, 169 and 79 states respectively.
First • Protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war.• Also extends to medical and religious personnel, medical units, and medical transport.
Geneva convention What it covers?
Geneva Conventions are a set of four treaties (formalised in 1949) and three additional protocols.
o Geneva Conventions have been ratified by 196 states, including all UN member states.
International Criminal Court
&
RUSSIA
Vostro/Nostro Accounts (In Latin, Nostro means "ours," and Vostro means "yours.")
There are two kinds of accounts: Vostro and Nostro
So, if an Indian bank like the SBI wants to open an account in the United States, it will get in touch with a bank in the US, which will open a Nostro account and accept payments for SBI in dollars.
The account opened by the Indian bank in the US will be a Nostro account for the Indian bank, while for the US bank, the account will be considered a Vostro account.
Literally, Nostro means ‘ours’ and Vostro means ‘yours’ in Latin. Therefore, the accounts opened by IndusInd and UCO are Vostro, and the ones opened by Russia’s Sberbank and VTB Bank are Nostro accounts
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the opening of nine Special Vostro Accounts with two Indian lenders — UCO and IndusInd Bank — to facilitate overseas trade in rupee.
Recently, the RBI put in place a mechanism to settle international trade in rupees “in order to promote growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of the global trading community in the rupee”.
Both Vostro and Nostro are technically the same type of account, with the difference being who opens the account and where.
a third bank's account is referred to as a Loro account. "Loro," which means "their,"
Challenges in India-Russia Relations
Strategic Autonomy: India adopted “strategic silence” on the Ukraine war, balancing Western pressure with continued Russian oil imports (35%+ of crude in 2023–24).
Trilateral Drift: Growing Russia–China–Pakistan coordination via SCO/BRICS and exercises like Druzhba-VI, dilutes India’s traditional strategic primacy in Moscow’s South Asia calculus.
Quad Dissonance: Russia supports India’s Indo-Pacific vision but criticises the Quad as an “anti-China construct,” complicating India’s alignment choices.
Economic Frictions: Bilateral trade shows a $58.9 bn deficit, with the INSTC and Vladivostok corridor underdeveloped and banking constrained post-SWIFT exclusion.
Defence Diversification: SIPRI notes Russian arms share fell from 76% (2009–13) to 36% (2019–23) as India sources from France, the US, and Israel amid S-400 delays.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced it had issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002 and governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court.
The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court. English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish are the 6 official languages of ICC.
The ICC is an independent international organisation, and is not part of the United Nations system. Its seat is at The Hague, a city in the Netherlands.
INVESTIGATES 4 TYPES OF CRIME
GENOCIDE
WAR CRIMES
CRIME OF AGGRESSION
CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Though Ukraine is not an ICC member, it accepted the court’s jurisdiction for alleged crimes on its territory going back to 2013.
Russia is also not a member of the ICC. It was unclear how the ICC planned to enforce the warrant.
INDIA IS ALSO NOT A MEMBERS INCLUDING OTHER 40 (ONLY 123 COUNTRIES ARE MEMBER)
The ICC is not part of the UN whereas the International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the UN.
The ICC is a criminal court, unlike the International Court of Justice which adjudicates on civil matters.
