INDO RUSSIA 
by Atrishekhar
BACKGROUND
IMPORTANCE
COPERATION
POST UKRAINE CONFLICT
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
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-
Energy Security
GEOPOLITICAL
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
Northern Sea Route
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"
TRADE AND CONNECTIVITY
Main exports- Russia's main exports to the world consist of energy-oil, gas, nuclear-and arms sales
Increase bilateral investment to US$50 billion and bilateral trade to US$30 billion by 2025
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 has extended a $1 billion line of credit for the development of this region
India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was started in 2018
India participated in Eastern Economic Forum (2020) which aims to support the economic development of Russia's resource rich Far East.
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
SCIENCE & TECH
Gaganyaan Project
GLONASS
ARTIC
ISS &India is in preparation for its first manned space mission
BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the RIC
RECENT
Russia has become India's fourth-largest trading partner with imports from the country spiking five-fold to $32.9 billion during the April-December period,
There are two main contributors to India's higher imports from Russia -- crude oil and fertilisers.Russia had become the biggest fertiliser supplier to India in the first half of the FY23 for the first time.
India bargained a deal with Russia for crude petroleum, seeing this as an opportunity to push the export of petrol and diesel to countries such as the Netherlands and Brazil.
Russia became India's 20th largest source of imports in the last financial year
Moscow has moved to the fourth position in the list of Top 10 Merchandise Import Source Nations in April-December 2022
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.
VTB - Russia's second largest bank - has now launched a mechanism to receive direct payments in Rupees ditching the conventional mechanism involving Dollars and Euros. With this, Russian SMEs will now be able to transact in INR, thus simplifying the payments while dealing with their Indian trading partners
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
India now buying 33 times more Russian oil than a year earlier
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.
**EXAMPLES--- CHEBURASHKA (AN INOSENT HELPLESS ANIMIE --WHAT WEST THOUGHT RUSSIA tO BECOME )
AND MASA(INDIA) AND THE BEAR(RUSSIA) WHAT OUR FRNSHP BECAME LIKE**
LATEST IN ENERGY
India is also looking to enhance exports of electronic items to Russia,
CONFLICT
Russia’s restrictive visa regime
New Bipolar/MULTIPOLAR World
India’s divergence toward the two global centres of power—China and the United States
repercussions of external factors can no longer be ignored or underestimated
Moscow is incapable of expanding its relationship with New Delhi beyond the confines of cooperation in the military and energy
REMOVING ARMS EMBARGO FROM PAK 2014
Russia’s confrontation with the United States is forcing its Asia policy to tilt toward China,
2014 Crimea crisis.
Lack of involvement of the private sector
'Pivot to Asia' strategy-
Northern Sea Route (NSR)process of resource development in the Arctic
Weak banking links
click to edit
stalling of the International North-South Economic Corridor
poor connectivity
About Russia’s Far East (RFE) Region
Initiatives by India in RFE region
• India offered a $1 billion line of credit to develop infrastructure in the region.
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation purchased stakes in the Sakhalin-1 project in the region.
• India, Japan and Russia concluded their first Track II negotiations about joint Far East projects.
Eastern Economic Forum (EEF)
The EEF was established in 2015 to encourage foreign investments in the Russia’s Far East
• EEF displays the economic potential, suitable business conditions and investment opportunities in the region.
• The forum aimed at connecting the Far East with the Asia Pacific region.
o Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD) is the easternmost part of Russia and borders the Pacific and the Arctic ocean, and five countries (China, Japan, Mongolia, the United States and the North Korea).
o The region encompasses 1/3rd of Russia’s territory and is rich with natural resources such as fish, oil, natural gas, wood, diamonds, coal and other minerals.
o The Russian government has strategically developed the region with the aim of connecting Russia to the Asian trading routes.
o China: It is the biggest investor in the region (account for 90% of the total investments). Followed by South Korea and Japan.
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.
First • Protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war.• Also extends to medical and religious personnel, medical units, and medical transport.
International Criminal Court
&
RUSSIA
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.
o Three Protocols have been ratified by 174, 169 and 79 states respectively.
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”.
a third bank's account is referred to as a Loro account. "Loro," which means "their,"
Both Vostro and Nostro are technically the same type of account, with the difference being who opens the account and where.
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.
India, Russia in ‘advanced talks’ for new trade treaty
India, Russia trade exceeds target of $30 billion before 2025, may increase
India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement (FTA) involving the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU),
RECENTLY CONGRATULATED us ON SUCCESSFUL MEET OF 130 COUNTRIES OF GLOBAL SOUTH----Russia's Bold Geopolitical Pivot: Embracing the Global South, forging new alliances, and navigating economic resilience
• NITI Aayog and Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic are working on a plan to develop the Arctic and Russia’s Far East between 2020 and 2025.
India, Russia plan mega business meet in Moscow on December 19 2023
click to edit
2000 Strategic Partnership
Strategic partnership institutionalized annual meetings
Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership
RUSSIA CONGRATULATED INDIA AFTER SUCCESSFUL CONDUCTING OF GLOBAL SOUTH M,EET
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.
click to edit
1.Prime Minister Modi's Visit to Russia: In July 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. This visit marked the resumption of the annual summit after a two-year hiatus
2.Key Agreements and Initiatives:
• 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
3.Strategic and Diplomatic Engagements
• Ukraine Conflict: India emphasized a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy
• New Consulates: India will open two new consulates in Kazan and Yekaterinburg to facilitate services for the growing Indian community in Russia
4.Recognition and Honors: During his visit, Prime Minister Modi was awarded Russia’s highest civilian honor, the “Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle,” highlighting the strong bilateral ties
LATEST
High-Level Visits: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia twice in 2024, once in July for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit and again in October for the BRICS summit in Kazan. These visits underscored India's commitment to maintaining strong ties with Russia.
Economic and Trade Cooperation: Both countries set a bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030 and signed agreements to boost joint manufacturing in India of spare parts and components for Russian-origin defense equipment2. They also promoted the use of national currencies for bilateral trade
Military Collaboration: The partnership in defense continued to evolve, focusing on joint research, design, and production, such as the BrahMos missile and Kalashnikov rifles
Multilateral Engagements: India and Russia cooperated actively in multilateral forums like the UN, BRICS, and SCO, advocating for a multipolar world order
Geopolitical Stance: India maintained a balanced approach towards the Ukraine conflict, advocating for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy