India–Russia ties, developed since the Soviet era, continue to be one of the most stable strategic partnerships in the world. It is shaped by cooperation in defence, energy trade, and mutual diplomatic support. Here is a detailed look


UNBROKEN: As Putin visits India, here are at all the times Russia and India stood by each other, from Soviet era till now

The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) agreement was ratified after Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin forwarded it to the State Duma last week for approval.

What is Relos agreement and how does India-Russia benefit from it?

Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely will be visiting India in the first week of December&nbsp;with the expected date being December 6&nbsp;for the annual summit between the two&nbsp;countries. &nbsp;

The Russian president will hold&nbsp;talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit.

A number of agreements are expected to be signed during the visit. The visit will take place even as the first batch of the&nbsp;S-400 air defence system will be reaching India by the end of this year.

Putin had last visited India in 2018 for the annual summit. It was during that visit the contract for the S-400 missile system was signed between India and Russia.&nbsp;

The visit by the Russian president will be only his second foreign visit this year, the first one being to Geneva for the summit-level meeting with US President Joe Biden. He had joined the G20 summit in Italy virtually due to the COVID-19&nbsp;crisis at home.

Last year the annual summit could not take place due to the COVID-19 crisis.&nbsp;Russia and Japan are the only two&nbsp;countries with which India has an annual summit-level mechanism that alternates between the respective countries.&nbsp;India and Russia have so far conducted twenty annual summit meetings.

In 2019, PM Modi had visited the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and was also the guest of honour for the fifth&nbsp;Eastern Economic forum. India had then announced a $1bn soft credit line to boost Indian business participation in Russia’s development, especially in the Far East.

The COVID-19 crisis naturally will be the main subject of discussion during the summit. &nbsp;Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is being produced in India&nbsp;and during the deadly second coronavirus wave, Moscow had sent humanitarian support to New Delhi.

Both countries are also engaged on Afghanistan&nbsp;with Russian National Security Advisor &nbsp;(Secretary of the Security Council) Nikolai P. Patrushev having visited New Delhi twice&nbsp;since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August to discuss the situation in the country.

Defence forms the main pillar of the relationship&nbsp;with Russia being India's largest defence partner. The manufacture and co-production of four Project 1135.6 frigates, manufacture in India of assault rifle - AK-203&nbsp;through 100 per cent&nbsp;indigenisation, additional supplies of Su-30 MKI&nbsp;as well as the MiG-29s, additional supplies of the MANGO ammunition &amp; VSHORAD systems are among the key projects.

Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely will be visiting India in the first week of December with the expected date being December 6 for the annual summit between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely will be visiting India in the first week of December with the expected date being December 6 for the annual summit between the two countries. The Russian president will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit. A number of agreements are expected to be signed during the visit. The visit will take place even as the first batch of the S-400 air defence system will be reaching India by the end of this year. Putin had last visited India in 2018 for the annual summit. It was during that visit the contract for the S-400 missile system was signed between India and Russia. The visit by the Russian president will be only his second foreign visit this year, the first one being to Geneva for the summit-level meeting with US President Joe Biden. He had joined the G20 summit in Italy virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis at home. Last year the annual summit could not take place due to the COVID-19 crisis. Russia and Japan are the only two countries with which India has an annual summit-level mechanism that alternates between the respective countries. India and Russia have so far conducted twenty annual summit meetings. In 2019, PM Modi had visited the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and was also the guest of honour for the fifth Eastern Economic forum. India had then announced a $1bn soft credit line to boost Indian business participation in Russia’s development, especially in the Far East. The COVID-19 crisis naturally will be the main subject of discussion during the summit. Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is being produced in India and during the deadly second coronavirus wave, Moscow had sent humanitarian support to New Delhi. Both countries are also engaged on Afghanistan with Russian National Security Advisor (Secretary of the Security Council) Nikolai P. Patrushev having visited New Delhi twice since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August to discuss the situation in the country. Defence forms the main pillar of the relationship with Russia being India's largest defence partner. The manufacture and co-production of four Project 1135.6 frigates, manufacture in India of assault rifle - AK-203 through 100 per cent indigenisation, additional supplies of Su-30 MKI as well as the MiG-29s, additional supplies of the MANGO ammunition & VSHORAD systems are among the key projects.

Russian President Putin expected to visit India on December 6

The Changing Dynamics Of India-Russia Defence Ties Defence has always been the cornerstone of Indo-Russian relationship. Amidst increased competition in the global arms market, India and Russia are looking for ways to revitalise their defence ties. This report explores the changing dynamics of Indo-Russian defence partnership

Gravitas: Defence: The cornerstone of India-Russia partnership