New Delhi: Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth’s three-day visit to Russia has advanced India-Russia Army-to-Army cooperation, with his September 18 engagements in Moscow focusing on joint capability development, professional military exchanges and expanding military-to-military cooperation.
During the visit, General Seth met Russian Deputy Defence Minister General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov at the Russian Defence Ministry. The Indian Army said the discussions focused on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, developing joint capabilities and expanding professional military engagements between the two countries.
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General Seth also visited the Russian Land Forces Headquarters, where interactions centred on issues of mutual interest, deeper military cooperation, expanded training engagements and capability development between the two armies.
The engagements followed his earlier meeting with Colonel General Andrei Nikolayevich Mordvichev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces. According to the Ministry of Defence, the discussions covered professional military cooperation and training, while also providing an opportunity to exchange perspectives on contemporary military developments.
The Army Chief's itinerary also included a visit to Russia's National Defence Control Centre and interaction with senior Russian defence officials dealing with defence industry and procurement. In St Petersburg, he visited the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy, highlighting the continuing role of military education and professional exchanges in the bilateral relationship.
The visit is significant because India-Russia defence cooperation has evolved beyond a traditional buyer-seller relationship towards joint research, development and production of defence technologies and systems. Russia also remains an important source of defence equipment, engines, spares and components for India.
For the Indian Army, continued institutional engagement with Russia has relevance across training, equipment support, maintenance, capability development and professional military exchanges. At the same time, India's defence-industrial policy is increasingly focused on localisation and domestic production, making technology cooperation and indigenous manufacturing important elements of future partnerships.
The timing also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's September 11 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, where the two leaders discussed defence alongside trade, energy, critical minerals, nuclear cooperation and other strategic areas. The Army Chief's visit provides a military-level channel to carry forward the defence component of the broader bilateral relationship.
The engagement also comes as the Indian Army continues to adapt to changing battlefield requirements, including the growing importance of unmanned systems, electronic warfare, precision fires, integrated air defence and networked operations. Professional exchanges with a major military partner provide opportunities to share operational perspectives and identify areas for future cooperation.
General Seth's Russia visit therefore reinforces a key feature of the India-Russia defence relationship: sustained military diplomacy alongside capability development and institutional cooperation, even as India continues to diversify its defence partnerships and strengthen its indigenous defence-industrial base.
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