Summary cooperation – Nulear ( Kundakulam) ; Defence ( 70% of stock weapons, S-400, 5th Generation) ; Economic ( Oil pipeline, Investment Fund, Diamond, ONGC xploration ; but overall low currently ); Political ( China – Pressure point, UNSC, Druzhba – Dosti, Special Strategic Partnership , eroding though with Russia- Pak)
Defence
“Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” signed between 2 in 2010
Hardware
US has overtaken Russia as the biggest vendor
But, even now, Russian hardware 70% of the cumulative
Cooperation required for maintenance
Some notable joint development
Brahmos
Joint manufacture of Kamov-226 light helicopter in India
5th generation aircraft
Aimed to replace Sukhoi -30 MKI
Uncertain
High costs – 5 billion $ , too few work to Indian, unreliable stealth, too little upgrade over Sukhoi
License to manufacture in India
Sukhoi 30 MKI
T- 90
Other significant purchases
INS vikramaditya
Mig
Leasing of Nuclear submarine – Chakra
Talks over S-400 air defence system
Political
Druzba Dosti
Vsion for next decade
Signed in 2014
BRICS, SCO
Russia supports India’s entry to UNSC
India did not agree upon Western sanctions to Russia, post Crimea crisis- saying India does not sympathise with any sanctions imposed other than the UNSC
Even though Russia and China are coming together, they are not Natural allies. Russia would also be apprehensive of an ambitious China
Terrorism
Terrorism, separatism – Kashmir, Chechnya
Nuclear
Kundakulam- 4 reactors
Plan to construct at least 12 more
Russia 1st country to engage with India after CLiNDA, 2010
Economic
Limited Track 2 and Track 3 diplomacy
India to ratify an FTA with Eurasian Economic Union – EEU
Before 1991, Russia used to be the largest exporting destinations of India
Then liberalisation and Disintegration of USSR
Trade- only at 10 billion $
Currently, Russian Investment in India is 3 billion $, and India’s 7 billion $ in Russia, much lesser than the 100 billion $ bilateral investment between Russia- China & Russia – US
INSTC
Green shoots
Will be setting up an India Investment Fund
Corpus of 2 billion $
1 billion $ from Indian govt
Will be mostly used for investment in Indian investment projects
Cooperation in Diamond sector
Russia biggest source of raw diamond
India centre for Diamond cutting
Oil
Feasibilty study for Russia India pipeline
ONGC to buy stake in Russia’s 2nd largest gas field : Vankor
Bought Essar recently
Challenges
India now closer to US
US largest defence seller now
Similar diversification in millitary – Israel, France closer
Russia- Pak
Millitary exercise in Gilgit Baltistan
Sovereign have no permanent friends
Paradoxical considering Russia exercised Veto rights in suppport of India on Kashmir issue in 1950s
