On April 17, 2026, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly announced the contents of an agreement. On the same day, Rusytem Umerov, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, held talks in New Delhi with Indian National Security Advisor Doval and Foreign Minister Sajid. This coincidence in timing seems like a clue to a puzzle.
This agreement is called the Reciprocal Logistics Exchange Agreement (RELOS). It was officially signed by India and Russia on February 18, 2025. After nearly a year of approval processes, it came into effect in January 2026. Literally speaking, its just a military logistics document that allows military ships to dock, military aircraft to use airports, and personnel to receive supplies and maintenance services.
However, against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, U.S. sanctions, Indias strategic autonomy, and competition in the Indo-Pacific region, this arrangement is clearly not just about logistics. RELOS allows both India and Russia to temporarily deploy soldiers, ships, and military aircraft on each others territory for a period of five years. Whats most noteworthy is that both parties can simultaneously deploy up to 3,000 military personnel, 5 warships, and 10 military aircraft in each others territories or airspace.
More importantly, it has historical significance: This is the first time in Indias history that foreign military forces have been allowed to enter the country under certain conditions through institutionalized mechanisms. This is a treatment that even the United States, which has a comprehensive global strategic partnership with India, has never received. RELOS isnt about India turning towards Russia, nor is it about India moving away from Russia, as expected by the West. Instead, it represents a more Indian-style, more realistic balance of interests among various parties involved.
Its important to understand RELOS clearly. First and foremost, this isnt about Russia establishing permanent military bases in India, nor is it a military alliance between India and Russia. Instead, it represents a shift from the past practice of ad hoc negotiations, case-by-case approvals, and cumbersome procedures related to military logistics, into a system that can be repeated, predictable, and less frictional. The agreement also specifies that it applies to joint exercises, training programs, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief efforts, and other situations where bilateral agreements are necessary. The agreement emphasizes respect for sovereignty and mutual benefit principles.
In February 2025, Russia and India signed the Mutual Logistics Exchange Agreement. This agreement will come into effect officially starting from January 2026.
RELOS is not a mutation that starts from scratch. Instead, it represents an institutionalization of existing relationships in a new context.
During the Soviet era, relations between the two countries were characterized as a strategic partnership, distinct from ordinary commercial transactions. According to materials published by the Soviet newspaper Viewpoints and Arguments in 1983, with Soviet assistance, India had built or was in the process of building approximately 80 enterprises and other facilities. In that year, about 35% of Indias steel production, 20% of its aluminum production, 30% of its petroleum products, and 80% of its heavy machinery products came from Soviet-Indian cooperative projects. The Soviet Union also helped train around 100,000 Indian technical experts and skilled workers. The saying Indians and Russians are brothers has been widely circulated between the two countries for decades.
In the past, Russia was primarily Indias weapon supplier. Today, Russia also continues to play a key role as a maintenance partner, parts provider, logistical support provider, and strategic channel for Indias Russian-made equipment. Among Indias current military assets, none can function without regular maintenance: Su-30MKI fighter jets, S-400 missile systems, T-90 tanks, MiG-29K carrier-based aircraft, and Kilo-class submarines all require constant maintenance.
Equipment for survival
After the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia was subject to Western sanctions. Indias ability to purchase Russian oil products and to obtain funding, transportation, spare parts, and insurance for Russian-made equipment has been severely disrupted. When India decided to purchase the S-400 missile system, it faced warnings from the United States regarding CAATSA sanctions. After the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, European and American sanctions further disrupted Indias ability to obtain Russian spare parts and technical support. Additionally, the exchange rate between rupees and rubles has become unstable.
Indias former ambassador to Russia, Ajay Malhotra, summarized the significance of RELOS as follows: India-Russia defense relations have moved from a equipment supply-based model to a new stage where operational logistics cooperation is emphasized. This allows India to access Russian facilities in the Arctic and Far East regions. More importantly, it provides logistical support beyond Western control networks, thereby strengthening strategic autonomy.
Security analysts in Delhi refer to RELOS as the silent, implicit agenda setters between India and Russia. Its main role is to ensure that Indian Russian-made equipment remains operational during times of sanctions.
Towards Russia: A Flexible Agreement in an Era of Sanctions
For Russia, the value of RELOS is equally direct. Andrey Koltunov, academic director of the Russian Committee on International Affairs, pointed out that Russia currently has no military bases or infrastructure in the Indian Ocean. RELOS helps Moscow to gain such capabilities.
Nihil Universitys associate professor Amritb Singh said it more clearly: For Moscow, RELOS is not so much a wartime alliance, but rather a flexible agreement in the era of sanctions. It allows Russian ships and aircraft to stay in the Indian Ocean and its surrounding areas for longer periods of time. This also serves as proof to the outside world that Russia still has important partners in Asia.
Mikhail Alexandrov, former chief researcher at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, described it in particularly vivid terms: In the past, when Russian ships needed to dock in the Indian Ocean, it was necessary to explain each case individually regarding where to dock, why, and what to do. After RELOS, all these matters could be handled according to procedures within the framework of agreements. This transformed the process from a series of one-time diplomatic negotiations into a semi-automatic mode of operation.
Geographical Complementarity: From the Indian Ocean to the Arctic Region
RELOS also extended relations between India and Russia from the Eurasian continent to the oceans. India has long been focused on the Indian Ocean, while Russia has long been focused on the Eurasian continent and the Arctic region. This agreement allows the two sides geographical weaknesses to be compensated for by each other.
In December 2025, during his visit to India, Russian President Putin signed a series of cooperation documents with Indian Prime Minister Modi. These documents included measures to strengthen development and utilization of the northern maritime routes in the Arctic region.
According to Bangalore-based defense analyst Giriksh Linganara, RELOS enables India to access Russian maritime and air infrastructure from the Arctic to the Pacific. It also connects the Northern Sea Route, the Kolkata-Vladivostok corridor, and the international north-south transport corridor, thereby enhancing Indias Eurasian connectivity and maritime presence. Pravin Donti, a senior analyst specializing in Indian affairs at an international crisis organization, believes that this enhances Indias connectivity from the Pacific to the Arctic. It is essentially a boost for India, which considers itself a key player in the Indo-Pacific region.
This is precisely what India values most: not joining forces with Russia, but allowing Russia to continue serving as a pivot for Indias strategic autonomy.
Back to that intriguing point in time: April 17, 2026. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed details of the RELOS agreement. On the same day, Ukrainian National Security Council Secretary Umeirov met with Indian security advisor Doval and Foreign Minister Sajjad Singh.
According to Raju Jai Bhai, a researcher at the Indian Defence and Strategic Research Committee, Russias public announcement of RELOS is not accidental. This is a signal from Moscow to New Delhi: relations between India and Russia are still being strengthened, while it also serves as a countermeasure against any potential security cooperation between India and Ukraine.
In other words, RELOS is not just an agreement between India and Russia. It is also involved in a triangular game among Russia, Ukraine, and India. Russia tells India, I remain your most important security partner. Ukraine tells India, We also have what you need regarding experience in future wars and drone technology. Indias choice is to choose neither of these two options.
Why does India need Ukraine cards?
This is by no means a diplomatic gesture; there are real military needs behind this action. During the Sindur Operation in May 2025 (i.e., the Indian air strike against Pakistan on May 7, 2025), the Indian army used the expensive S-400 system to intercept Pakistani drones. This made India realize the strategic value of low-cost anti-drone systems. The battlefield in Ukraine provides the most cutting-edge practical experience: FPV drones, swarm tactics, STING drones, Bullet interception systems, fiber-optic FPV drones, OPTIX jamming systems
Jai Bibhai also pointed out that the cooperation between India and Ukraine in drone technology could serve as a leverage tool to pressure Russia. This could encourage Moscow to make more technological concessions regarding issues such as maintaining S-400 systems and localizing spare parts production.
Russia can provide the S-400 system, the Aegis missile defense system, the Su-30 fighter jet, and its long-term maintenance capabilities. These are the existing security measures that Indias military can rely on. Ukraine, on the other hand, can offer valuable low-cost lessons learned from actual combat experiences. This serves as a valuable source of incremental learning for Indias military. India needs both options.
The boundaries of the board: How far can RELOS move?
Of course, RELOS also has clear limitations. Alex Zharov, a researcher at the Indian Observatory Research Foundation, warned that RELOS should not be overrated as a strategic breakthrough. A careful reading of the agreement reveals that it is more of a technical arrangement, primarily serving purposes such as joint exercises, humanitarian operations, and logistical coordination. If Indias presence in the Arctic is limited, and Russias presence in the Indian Ocean is also limited, and the strategic closeness between the two countries regarding issues in the Indo-Pacific remains questionable, then RELOS will likely serve mainly a technical role.
This judgment is both calm and accurate: Russia and India can share logistics resources, but its difficult to share their enemies.
; Russia is wary of the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy and the AUKUS agreement. India, on the other hand, refuses to be completely tied to the US. It uses the US-Japan-Australia-India quadrilateral mechanism to counter Chinese pressure. Russia hopes that India will position itself closer to it through cooperative mechanisms with Russia and China within the anti-Western framework. However, India is reluctant to support either side. Indian officials have deliberately kept a low profile regarding RELOS. This reflects the diplomatic logic of the Hindu tradition of Friends of the World – avoiding any single agreement that could disrupt relations with other countries.
This is the characteristic of Indias diplomacy: it rarely presents multiple-choice questions as single-choice ones. India has logistics agreements with the United States, as well as similar arrangements with France, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Japan, and other countries. However, RELOS differs from these agreements. It aims not only to improve interoperability, but more importantly, to reduce the actual impact of international sanctions on Indias ability to maintain Russian-made equipment. A retired Indian naval officer who has long been involved in matters related to Russia said bluntly, RELOS doesnt try to circumvent sanctions; rather, it aims to reduce the actual effectiveness of those sanctions.
RELOS is more like a mirror that reveals the true nature of contemporary relations between India and Russia. It isnt a Cold War-style friendship between India and Russia, nor is it what the West expects to be the casea situation where India completely distances itself from Russia. Instead, it represents a more Indian-oriented, more realistic balance among various factors involved.
Russia remains the core pillar of Indias military infrastructure. Ukraine is becoming an important technological platform for India to observe future wars. The United States and the West continue to be key sources for India in obtaining advanced technologies and capital, thereby enabling it to counter China. India has a deep relationship with Russia, but it is not a coalition. Its relationship with the United States is close, but not subordinate. Cooperation with Ukraine is promising, but it will not replace Russia.
In a nutshell: RELOS has transformed India-Russia relations from old military sales, old friendships, and old contracts into an era of logistics, trade routes, military preparedness, and strategies for survival in times of sanctions. But what India really wants to do is not to side with Russia or Ukraine. Instead, it wants to use every war between nations, every conflict between major powers, and every supply chain disruption as strategic opportunities for itself.
