India had just breathed its last breath of independence. A huge challenge to secure the country’s borders was at hand, and what else was at hand? Just some old and tired weapons in the name of war. It was the need of the hour to create a new, strong and reliable army, but the world’s most powerful countries were reluctant to sell their weapons, especially when India was not ready to join any single group. The policy of non-alignment adopted by India was also creating problems.
While on one hand America and Western countries considered India as a ‘conditional’ friend, on the other hand the Soviet Union (USSR) had its eyes on this newly independent country. The Soviet Union knew how important it was to join hands with India, especially in the environment of the Cold War, where the world was divided into two camps.
From here begins the story of a friendship between India and Russia (then the Soviet Union), which has stood the test of time. This relationship was not just about arms deals, but about deep trust, standing together and respecting each other’s independence.
Currently Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a tour of India.
The beginning: The ‘no’ that turned into a ‘yes’
When India became independent, in the initial days our army had most of the weapons from Britain. But by the 1960s, especially after the 1962 war with China, India realized that we were in dire need of modern and powerful weapons.
India sought help from western countries like America. But western countries always imposed some conditions – like you should obey us, give up non-alignment, or some other political pressure. In such a situation, India felt that if we have to decide our own defense policy, then we need a friend who will stand by us without any conditions.
Sukhoi fighter jet.
At the same time, the Soviet Union extended the hand of friendship. For the Soviet Union it was an opportunity to strengthen its hold in Asia, and for India it was the best, and arguably the only, way to make its military self-reliant.
First big step: the story of MiG fighter jets
In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union offered MiG-21 fighter jets to India. This was one of the most modern jets of that time. When western countries refused to provide their advanced jets to India, the MiG-21 deal proved to be a game-changer.
The biggest thing was that the Soviet Union was not only ready to sell weapons, but was also ready to transfer technology. This meant that India itself could make these fighter jets in its own country. This can be considered as the first big step towards self-reliance for India. This deal proved that the Soviet Union is not just a seller, but a true and reliable strategic partner.
Russia stopped America’s fleet
That difficult time of 1971, when tension between India and Pakistan was at its peak. The war for independence of Bangladesh was going on. At that time, America and its friends were openly supporting Pakistan. America’s Seventh Fleet was moving towards the Bay of Bengal to scare India. The eyes of the whole world were fixed on what would happen next.
It was an atmosphere of suspense. India started feeling that he was left alone. But then the Soviet Union held the hand of friendship more tightly. Taking a huge political risk, the Soviet Union deployed its warships near the Indian border.
This step of the Soviet Union was no less than a lifesaver for India. The American fleet had to retreat. This incident created an unwavering trust and respect for the Soviet Union in the hearts of the people of India. The world saw that when the real need arose, which country stood with India without any conditions. That victory of 1971 was not just of the army, but also of this deep friendship.
Soviet Union broke, but no friendship with India
The Soviet Union broke up in 1991. In its place a new country named Russia was formed. There was a time when I wondered whether the India-Soviet friendship would break? Will Russia also follow the path of Western countries? This was a delicate turning point in their relationship. At that time, everything from T-72 tanks to Sukhoi fighter jets that the Indian Army had was of Soviet origin. If spare parts and maintenance had stopped, our army would have lost 60-70 percent of its strength in one fell swoop.
But Russia maintained the legacy of this friendship. That old friendship, which had transformed into brotherhood with time, did not break. Russia kept its promise and continued supplying spare parts. In fact, Russia has now agreed to provide more advanced weapons.
This trend continues unabated from the 1960s till today. Some of the biggest and important deals signed between the two countries gave a new identity to India’s defence-
- 1980s: India purchased a large stock of MiG-29 fighter jets and T-72 tanks from Russia.
- 1990s: Both the countries together laid the foundation of the BrahMos cruise missile program. Today this missile is a symbol of the strategic strength of both the countries.
- 2004: India purchased the Admiral Gorshkov ship from Russia, which was designed as a new aircraft carrier and named INS Vikramaditya.
- After 2010: Russia sold the most advanced T-90 Bhishma tanks to India, and today they are the backbone of the Indian Army. The biggest and most important deal was for the S-400 Triumph air defense missile system. America also put pressure on this deal made in 2018, but considering its national security, India completed this deal worth more than 5.4 billion dollars. S-400 is the strongest shield of India’s air defense today, which has the power to shoot down enemy airplanes up to a distance of 400 kilometers.
- Nuclear submarine: Russia leased Chakra class nuclear submarines to India, which was a huge step forward for India’s maritime power. This shows that Russia is ready to share even the most sensitive and modern technology with India.
Where is this friendship today and how much is this business?
Even today, the defense trade between India and Russia remains strong. In the last five years, India has purchased billions of dollars worth of arms from Russia, including advanced items like the S-400.
There is an annual defense trade of $ 2-3 billion (about Rs 16,000-24,000 crore) between the two countries, which is a major part of India’s total arms imports. Today, a large part of what the Indian Army has is from Russia, which includes Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets, MiG-29, T-90 tanks, INS Vikramaditya and S-400 missiles. Even today this share is 60-70 percent.
India has also given full support to Russia
When the war between Russia and Ukraine started on 24 February 2022, America and Europe imposed stringent sanctions on Russia and asked the whole world to stop buying Russian oil. Tremendous diplomatic pressure was also put on India, but India did not listen to anyone. India bought many times more crude oil from Russia than before. In FY 2021-22, Russia accounted for just 2 per cent of India’s total crude oil imports (totaling 4.2 million barrels per day), and the value was less than $2.5 billion. But after the war, in FY 2022-23, this share increased to 21.6 per cent, volume reached 50.85 million metric tonnes (MMT), and value more than $31 billion (a 13-fold increase).
Volume to 83.02 MMT by FY 2023-24 (share 40%), and value to $52.73 billion in calendar year 2024. India became Russia’s largest oil importer overnight. In 2023, India will take 36% share of Russia’s crude exports. The trend continued in FY 2024-25 also. In October 2025 alone, 1.48 million barrels per day (bpd) were imported.
