Russia’s State Duma ratified the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS) agreement with India on December 3, 2025, just ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi on December 4-5. Signed initially on February 18, 2025, this pact enables mutual logistical aid for military operations, joint exercises, training, humanitarian missions, and disaster relief. It allows access to each other’s airspace, ports, bases, refueling, repairs, and supplies, cutting bureaucracy and costs.
Core Provisions of RELOS
RELOS outlines procedures for deploying troops, warships, and aircraft between India and Russia, with streamlined support for fuel, spares, berthing, and maintenance. Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin highlighted it as a step in their “strategic and comprehensive” ties, easing operational constraints. The agreement covers peacetime and crisis scenarios, building on prior drafts approved in June 2024, and mirrors India’s pacts like LEMOA with the US since 2016.
This pact grants India entry to Russian facilities from Vladivostok to Murmansk along the Northern Sea Route, including Arctic ports. Russia gains reciprocal access to Indian Ocean ports, enhancing bilateral interoperability without permanent bases. Over 60% of India’s hardware—Sukhoi Su-30MKI jets, T-90 tanks, S-400 systems—originates from Russia, making logistics seamless.
Benefits for India
India secures Arctic operational experience, vital for polar navigation amid climate shifts opening new routes. The Indian Navy, deploying 12-15 warships across Indo-Pacific chokepoints, gains sustainment without dedicated tankers, boosting maritime domain awareness and HADR roles. Scientific ambitions in the Arctic, like research stations, align with enhanced naval reach.
RELOS bolsters joint exercises like INDRA, reducing paperwork for rolling cost settlements. It counters China’s regional assertiveness while diversifying partnerships, ensuring supply continuity for Russian-origin platforms. Analysts note it positions India as a global naval power with logistical backbone.
Benefits for Russia
Western sanctions post-Ukraine war limit Moscow’s reach; RELOS restores Indo-Pacific projection via Indian ports, avoiding costly bases. Russia counters Chinese dominance in Asia, maintaining multipolar balance without Quad alignment. Reciprocal Arctic access for India strengthens Russia’s alliance network amid isolation.
The pact supports Russia’s global military posture, facilitating troop and asset movements efficiently. It reinforces the “particularly privileged strategic partnership,” with Putin’s visit likely advancing defence trade.
Broader Context
India-Russia defence ties, spanning decades, withstand global shifts; RELOS complements US pacts while prioritizing autonomy. It enhances HADR coordination, critical for disasters in shared regions. As Putin visits amid trade and sanctions talks, RELOS signals deepening military synergy.
This win-win pact elevates operational readiness, with India gaining polar clout and Russia Indo-Pacific footing. Expect expanded exercises and tech transfers post-ratification.
