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NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday demanded that Russia release all Indian nationals serving in its military following the death of another citizen on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine, taking the number of deaths so far to 10.
The external affairs ministry said an Indian national from Kerala was killed and another from the same state was injured. It didn’t provide details regarding the circumstances of the death, though reports said Binil Babu (31), a native of Kuttanellur in Thrissur district, was killed in the fighting with Ukraine.
The Indian side has repeatedly called for the release of all Indians serving as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, with Russian military units. This became a key issue for New Delhi following the death of at least nine Indians during Russia’s war with Ukraine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too raised the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin at two meetings last year.
The release of some Indians serving in the Russian Army had been held up as Russia’s defence ministry had not annulled their contracts for military service. The Russian embassy in New Delhi said last year the recruitment of Indians into Russia’s armed forces was stopped in April 2024, and authorities were ensuring the early discharge of those who “voluntarily contracted for military service”.
The Indian side has contended that many Indians recruited into the Russian military were “misled” or duped by unscrupulous recruitment agents. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a criminal case against 19 individuals and entities last year for their alleged role in recruiting Indians and made several arrests.
bala wrote: ↑20 Feb 2025 11:51
This YT is claiming India Russia Defence logistics Agreement Signed.
youtube.com/watch?v=JxFes1CmWyY
The agreement has been delayed for several years; will facilitate military exchanges for exercises, training, port calls, disaster relief, and ease access to Russian military facilities, especially in the Arctic
PD-35: The Mega-Engine That Could Put Russia’s Wide-Body Airliner on Top | Il-96
Russia is placing significant bets on the PD-35 high-thrust jet engine, which is designed to power a new generation of wide-body airliners and rival Boeing and Airbus. Backed by billions in funding and full political support, the PD-35 promises to be Russia’s most powerful aviation engine yet. But delays, funding issues, and lack of airline orders could threaten the entire program. In this video, we break down the political stakes, technical challenges, and what the outcome means for global aviation.
Russia has offered India its T-14 Armata main battle tank to replace ageing T-72s, including technology transfer and production in India. The proposal is intended to be part of the Make in India programme, which seeks to strengthen domestic defence manufacturing.
The T-14 Armata is a next-generation tank with an unmanned turret and a three-person crew located in the hull. These tanks are produced by Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, although the scale of production is unclear and unofficial estimates suggest only a few dozen have been built.
High costs, technical problems with vetronics and propulsion, as well as the impact of Western sanctions on acquiring advanced components, have hampered the programme. Uralvagonzavod has nonetheless offered to design and develop the Armata in line with India’s unique requirements under its new generation tank programme.
US President Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of India’s trade and military ties with Russia and threat of additional tariffs appears to have failed to achieve its desired goal. Instead of scaling back ties, India and Russia have reaffirmed plans for the exploration of the strategic Northern Sea Route (NSR).
The announcement was made at the 26th meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation on August 20, which was attended by S. Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs (MEA).
“It is obvious that the expansion of trade and economic ties is also linked to forming reliable logistical corridors and creating new container services. We target joint development of the Northern Sea Route and the North-South Corridor in this regard,” Manturov, highlighting the scale of trade between the two countries.
NSR is a shipping route that runs along Russia’s Arctic Coast and has the potential to significantly reduce transit time between Russia and Asia. Meanwhile, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal transportation project aimed at connecting India and Russia via Iran.
It is a 7,200-kilometer route– a combination of sea, rail, and road–to facilitate trade and transport between South Asia and Northern Europe.
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a shipping route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the Arctic. It runs along the Russian Arctic coast, significantly reducing the distance between Asia and Europe compared to traditional routes like the Suez Canal.
As compared to the Suez Canal route, the estimated shipping through the NSR will reduce the distance between Shanghai and Rotterdam (Europe’s largest commercial port in the Netherlands) by almost 2,800 nautical miles or by 22%. This route is also likely to reduce the transportation cost by 30 to 40%, as previously explained by the EurAsian Times.
Similarly, it would cut the transit time from 32-35 days to 12-15 days for routes like Chennai-Vladivostok. It is pertinent to note that the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor is a maritime route covering approximately 5,600 nautical miles that leverages the NSR for part of its journey, but is tailored to connect India’s eastern coast with Russia’s Pacific port. Sarbananda Sonowal said in November 2024 that the corridor had become operational and was carrying oil, food, and machines.
“India’s interest in the NSR hinges on developing the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor, which promises to reduce India-Europe travel time by two weeks,” as noted by the ORF think tank in an article published last year.
Moscow is promoting the NSR as an alternative global shipping route, which has emerged as a strategic priority for Russian President Vladimir Putin because it is crucial for linking its eastern trading partners when the country is reeling under sanctions and economic difficulties. Russian analysts say that while an estimated 12% of world maritime trade passes through the Suez Canal, the route must not be made indispensable.
The development of NSR is also based on the evolving geopolitical situation. As a major participant in Arctic trade, China is actively collaborating with Russia on NSR-related initiatives. India can offset China’s expanding influence in the Arctic by participating in the NSR through joint ventures and cargo transit agreements with Russia, a move that would be consistent with its larger Indo-Pacific strategy.
The NSR is getting easier to navigate as ice-free periods extend due to the melting of Arctic ice brought on by climate change. India’s involvement in NSR development will enable it to take advantage of Russia’s icebreaker fleet, which is the largest in the world, enabling year-round navigation while also adapting to shifting global trade patterns.
Last year, Russia chose India over China for its non-nuclear icebreaker construction program, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times. The Indian government was known to be in talks with two shipbuilders—one state-owned and the other private—to construct four non-nuclear icebreaker ships valued at over Rs 6,000 crores ($750 million).
Russian state nuclear corporation ROSATOM and Indian partners have been exploring ways to develop the transit potential of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), mainly for facilitating the supply of Russian oil, coal, and liquefied natural gas.
The fact that this is happening despite US threats signals that India is prioritising its economic interests instead of alignments.
Russia and India have reported that over 90 percent of their bilateral trade payments are now conducted using their respective national currencies—the Russian rouble and the Indian rupee. This milestone, revealed by First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov at the meeting of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission, marks a profound shift away from reliance on traditional international currencies such as the U.S. dollar and euro in their commercial dealings, underscoring a broader effort towards de-dollarization and enhanced financial sovereignty between the two nations.
“Providing for seamless mutual payments is a no less important task, especially in current realities. We have already managed to transfer more than 90 percent of payments between Russia and India to national currencies,” Manturov said.
However, while there are clear benefits to rupee-rouble trade settlements, challenges remain. Managing exchange rate volatility between the two currencies requires sophisticated financial instruments and risk management strategies. Both countries are working to align their banking systems and payment infrastructures to ensure seamless transactions and rapid settlement times—often within two hours, mirroring domestic payment speeds. Russia’s largest bank, Sber, for instance, has been actively supporting rupee transactions, opening rupee deposit accounts, and offering rupee-denominated loans to Russian businesses, signaling institutional backing for this financial shift.
The growing use of the rupee in Russia exemplifies how bilateral arrangements can build economic resilience. Sberbank reports that it processes up to 70 percent of Russia’s exports to India in rupees, evidencing a robust operational framework behind this currency cooperation. The bank’s expansion in India with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and an IT center in Bengaluru further illustrates the practical commitment to this financial integration.
^^^This is explains the Trump admin's hostility to India considering over 2B barrels/day of Russian oil coming into India. The vote chori business crap done by the INC to delegitimize GoI makes much more sense in light of this. A regime change operation is underway.
Mort Walker wrote: ↑23 Aug 2025 07:36
^^^This is explains the Trump admin's hostility to India considering over 2B barrels/day of Russian oil coming into India. The vote chori business crap done by the INC to delegitimize GoI makes much more sense in light of this. A regime change operation is underway.
Mort ji, you mean 2 Million Barrels right? 2b barrels per day works out to ~ USD 140 B per day.
Mort Walker wrote: ↑23 Aug 2025 07:36
^^^This is explains the Trump admin's hostility to India considering over 2B barrels/day of Russian oil coming into India. The vote chori business crap done by the INC to delegitimize GoI makes much more sense in light of this. A regime change operation is underway.
The new amb to India is known to be able to recruit and deploy a large number of people for a particular agenda..that seems to be his skill set
"Russia’s new messenger app MAX will have to be pre-installed on electronic devices sold in the country, according to a directive published on the government’s website this week. The move is part of a push Moscow is making to strengthen its digital sovereignty by reducing reliance on foreign technology platforms.
MAX will become mandatory starting September 1, according to the directive signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Tuesday, and will replace VK Messenger as the default Russian communications app. It must be included in the list of pre-installed programs on all electronic devices. The same order states that RuStore, Russia’s domestic app marketplace, will also have to be pre-installed on devices running Apple’s iOS and Huawei’s HyperOS, extending its previous mandate from Android and Huawei’s HarmonyOS ....
The mandatory installation of MAX and RuStore is part of a wider trend of replacing foreign-developed software with domestic solutions. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when companies such as Microsoft withdrew from Russia, officials have argued that dependence on unreliable foreign suppliers is unsafe. Alongside MAX and RuStore, Russia has promoted its Linux-based Astra and RED OS systems to replace Windows, and developed the Mir payment card system as an alternative to Visa and Mastercard."
The Russian-Indian relationship is both of longer duration and deeper history than those Russia has with its other key partners. It is also sometimes ignored as it does not extend to shared adversarial relations with the greater West. This is a mistake, as India is one of Russia’s self-identified civilizational friends. Furthermore, despite various ups and downs, the partnership has proven quite resistant to third-party pressures, including recently from the anti-Russian Western coalition.
These trends, driven largely by the war in Ukraine and India’s high energy demands, will likely continue. As trade grows between the countries, they are seeking financial integration outside the U.S. dollar payment structure. Both countries are looking for ways to address convertibility issues, reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar, and work around sanctions (Russia) and capital controls (India). This shared interest has resulted in the introduction of mechanisms such as vostro accounts that allow for international transactions without the use of an intermediary currency such as the dollar.
Barriers to deeper coordination remain in place. Notably, Russia and India remain focused on attracting foreign investment to their own markets, they do not rank highly as sources of outside capital for each other. Deeper financial integration will be a key determinant of how much further the bilateral relationship can go. The trade imbalance is another source of concern, and geopolitical loyalties remain misaligned. India leans toward the West in economic relations, as the United States and Europe remain more important partners than Russia. It is also wary of secondary sanctions and cautious about deeper involvement in groups like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which it sees as dominated by China.
Notwithstanding those barriers, both countries’ leaders have expressed the political will to overcome regulatory hurdles and foster more investment. The free trade and investment deals reportedly nearing completion should help facilitate this process. So, too, will the infrastructure projects sponsored by the BRICS New Development Bank.
