RELOS marks a significant step in the deep, strategic defence partnership, bolstering both countries' naval and air capabilities. This builds on the defence industrial partnership that has produced state-of-the-art BrahMos missiles.

Russia has been the most consistent, rather the only country that has come forward, in sharing critical defence technology with India.   

RELOS, which was operationalised in early 2026, allows both nations to share military bases, ports, and airfields, enabling the simultaneous stationing of up to 3,000 personnel, five warships, and 10 aircraft on each other's territory. 

This five-year renewable pact allows access for India to Arctic ports (such as Murmansk) and access for Russia to Indian Ocean facilities, strengthening logistics for joint exercises and strategic operations. The agreement allows India to secure its interests in the Arctic amid rising competition and provides Russia with a key partner in the Indo-Pacific to hedge against other powers.

Enhanced Access For Countries

The agreement facilitates access to over 40 Russian naval and air bases, including in the Arctic, while granting Russia access to Indian maritime infrastructure. It applies during both peacetime and wartime for refuelling, repair, spare parts, and replenishment. 

Each country can station up to 3,000 troops, five ships, and 10 aircraft on the other's soil. This agreement extends India's operational reach in the Arctic and Pacific, while reinforcing Russia’s presence in the Indian Ocean. The pact focuses on securing logistical support for joint exercises (such as INDRA), humanitarian assistance, and long-range missions.

Under RELOS, bartering, instead of payment, is also possible. RELOS will also support cross-training between militaries. It will also facilitate Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions in the countries’ areas of interest. The two can support search and rescue missions.

India-Russia Strategic Partnership

Defence cooperation is an important pillar of the India-Russia strategic partnership. 

India and Russia have an institutionalised structure to oversee the complete range of issues of military technical cooperation. The India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC), set up in 2000, is at the apex of this structure.

The Defence Ministers of the two countries meet annually, alternately in Russia and India, to discuss and review the status of ongoing projects and other issues of military technical cooperation. There are two Working Groups and seven Sub-Groups under the IRIGC-MTC, which review and discuss various military technical issues.

In 2008, the High Level Monitoring Committee was set up with the Defence Secretary from the Ministry of Defence, India, and the Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation from the Russian Federation as its co-chairs.

Military Technical Cooperation

Russia remains the largest supplier of defence equipment to India. 

A significant part of India’s military hardware is of Russian origin. The longstanding and wide-ranging military technical cooperation between India and Russia has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development, and production of advanced defence technologies and systems.

India is currently receiving and deploying S-400 long-range anti-ballistic missile systems. The systems played an exceptional role in Operation Sindoor. It is no secret that joint production of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is a cornerstone of this partnership, and the two sides are considering the next stage of BrahMos missiles. 

Other projects based on Russian technology include the production of T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI aircraft in India. Russia has also offered the advanced S-500 system for joint production, and there is an ongoing dialogue on the SU-57 fifth-generation fighter.

Sukhoi Fleet Upgrade

The existing Sukhoi fleet upgrade is in the pipeline, and there are talks on the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Ka 226T and R-37M air-to-air missiles. There is an opportunity to work on drones and anti-drone technology. Joint exercises between the two Armed Forces are held regularly under INDRA.

RELOS takes the partnership to the next level. It is a gamechanger for the already exceptional defence partnership. Russia gets access to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), courtesy RELOS, and this also gives India another partner in IOR to keep the region stable.

Simultaneously, RELOS will provide India with a huge opportunity to have an active presence in the resource-rich Arctic region, and supplement India’s plan to be part of the Northern Sea Route. The RELOS will also supplement the Vladivostok-Chennai maritime corridor that is gaining in momentum since the war in West Asia. Indian presence in the Arctic region, along with active presence in Far East Russia, will enable it to balance China’s growing presence in the region.

(The writer is a commentator on geopolitics. Views expressed are personal.)