Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

INS Trikand (F51) ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons/ United States Navy) Source- Russia & India Report Russia offered India three additional Project 11356 or Talwar class frigates, after New Delhi made a formal request, Vladimir Spiridopulo, the general director working on this project at the Northern Design Bureau, said.  Negotiations have been taking place since this spring, TASS said. Russia supplied India with two sets of three Project 11356 frigates, with the last one being the INS Trikand. “Negotiations on the third set of three frigates have been taking place with the Indian side since this spring. India sent us a request and we presented a proposal in response,” Spiridopulo said. “I cannot talk about all the details of the third set of three frigates,” he added. Spiridopulo also would not specify which shipyard might be given the order – the first three ships were built in the Baltic Shipyards of St. Petersburg, and the second set in Kaliningrad’s Yant

Image credits- Flickr/ MEA India Sources- Russia & India Report (RIR) Does the Russian Government need to worry about the just-concluded visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States? This is not an easy question to answer, it seems. At first glance, the development of relations between India and the United States applies only to those two countries. Modi, as the leader of an independent and influential state, is free to make visits, meet with foreign politicians, and agree on India’s cooperation with other countries on the basis of national interests. Interests of partners may be considered, but they will always remain secondary. In Russia, however, not all agree. As columnist Dmitry Kosyrev wrote,“The main question many Russians are asking is with whom does India stand? The United States or Russia?” Although, it’s true that at the same time he observed that this question does not make sense. The Russian press also fervently responded to the

MIG-29 ( Image credits- RAC-MIG Corporation) Sources- Russia & India Report (RIR) India is one the countries that has shown an active interest in buying Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG’s fighter jet simulator. “India has taken an interest in the device, as it has proved to be highly effective during the training of navy pilots on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya,” MiG Chief Executive Sergey Korotkov told Tass. “We definitely intend to sell such simulators. As part of the contractual obligations with India we use this simulator for training two groups of pilots. The Indians loved it. I think as soon as they sign the contract for another batch of fighters, hopefully, they will start buying,” he added. The simulator, jointly developed with the Moscow Aviation Institute, is a close replica of a real fighter cockpit. The model enables a large screen reproduction of the entire flight: takeoff, landing, refuelling, aerobatics and manoeuvres. The trainee uses 3D glasses a

A peaceful, stable and economically vibrant Asia-Pacific region augurs well for Russian and Indian interests. When it comes to China’s differences with its neighbours on islands in the South China Sea, India and Russia would prefer a peaceful settlement of disputes, and an evolution of a multilateral framework with China as a key player for resolution of conflicts. Both New Delhi and Moscow enjoy goodwill of the countries in the region. Countries apprehensive of threat to their territorial integrity and sovereignty have sought their cooperation. Vietnam and Indonesia have expressed interest in buying the jointly developed BrahMos missile to buttress their defence. Russia is a key supplier of defence equipments to the region, where India has also recently increased defence cooperation. Indian and Vietnamese signed an agreement to explore oil in 2013, and further during the recent visit of President Pranab Mukherjee signed a letter of intent to explore oil in another location. India c

As the United States and Europe increase their sanctions on Russia, unsurprisingly Russia is moving closer to one of its long term allies: India. America and Europe keep pressuring Russia to change its policy with respect to its support of separatists in Eastern Ukraine, the unintended consequence is America is pushing India into closer relations with Russia. Russia is the second largest arms exporter in the world, and half of Russian's arms production goes to China and India. When sanctions were announced on Russian military equipment the Indian government rejected them. While the 30 year multi billion dollar Russian oil pipeline deal with China has been widely discussed; the potential deal brewing between Russia and India could be as important as that deal. India is estimated to likely be the world's largest oil importer by 2020.  Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin expressed hope that the "biggest ever energy project in history (the pipeline) ... would enh

Indo-Russian Indra Naval exercises-2014 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Indian Navy) In April 2011, the Indian Navy’s three most renowned destroyers, INS Delhi, INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay, sailed over 8500 km to the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok for the INDRA joint exercise with the remnants of Russia’s once mighty Pacific Fleet. But when the Indian warships arrived in Vladivostok, the Pacific Fleet was missing. According to the Russian naval brass, their ships were assisting the Japanese with rescue operations at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Even as the Indian warships were returning to Visakhapatnam, the Indian Defence Ministry discovered the Russian warships had sailed out for an exercise of their own. According to some observers, the Russians were showing their displeasure at losing out in the Indian jet fighter competition. But it is highly unlikely the professional Russian military would agree to insult their Indian friends at the behest of some wound up diplo

Image courtesy-Wikimedia Commons and the author Tweets these days often indicate which way the wind is blowing long before it becomes an official policy. The warm manner in which India’s prime minister-designate Narendra Modi responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s congratulatory message can well be a harbinger of a new direction in India’s foreign policy. In itself it might be a classic case of over-analysis of what is after all just 140 characters. But a few observers who have an uncommon insight into Team Modi insist that the tweet has a complex back story. On April 12, 2014, a seemingly minor incident in the Black Sea caught the attention of policy mandarins in several world capitals. It also caught the attention of Team Modi’s research unit, which duly marked it for the attention of the top boss. The Americans keen to show their support to a beleaguered Ukraine, as also eager not to miss an opportunity to project their power to their East European allies in the immedi

Image courtesy- The Election Commission of India After India conducts one of the most crucial general elections in its independent history, among the new political dispensation’s foremost priorities will be to craft an innovative foreign policy that helps revive Asia’s third largest economy, as well as gives it geopolitical leverage in a region fraught with asymmetries and political tensions. In an external environment marked by uncertainty - a festering border issue with Pakistan, an increasingly aggressive China, and a politically diminished US - India’s outreach in an increasingly multi-polar world needs to focus on strengthening old ties while forging new ones.   At such a juncture, it becomes critical for New Delhi to nurture its strategic relationship with Moscow, one that outgoing Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh described as a strong pillar of Indian foreign policy. Indeed Indo-Russian ties go back a long way. Both countries share convergences on a gamut of global

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