This article covers cultural relations between India and Russia, recent festivals and cultural visits, the teaching of Indian languages in Russia, Indian students there and the mechanisms for academic cooperation. It is based on the MEA brief of June 2026 on relations between the two countries.

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, India and Russia have "deep and historic cultural linkages". Various writers, philosophers, thinkers and artists have influenced each other's art, culture and societies. Indian cinema was especially popular in the Soviet period, with screenings in most major cities and urban centres, and the brief describes Yoga as immensely popular across Russia.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNCC), Moscow, maintains close cooperation with leading Russian institutions. The brief also notes that prominent Indians have been conferred Russian state awards for their contribution to building and strengthening Russia-India political, scientific and cultural ties.

Festivals and events in 2025

The brief records these events in Russia:

  • 5-13 July 2025: a 9-day cultural festival, 'Bharat Utsav-Festival of India', was held for the first time in the central area of Moscow city. The brief states that it had 120+ events bringing in 100+ artists and craftsmen from India, with a footfall of 8,50,000 Russian citizens.
  • 2025: the XIth International Day of Yoga was celebrated in 60+ regions of Russia. At Moscow's VDNKH complex, more than 1000 people took part in a Yoga demonstration and master classes on Ayurveda and meditation.
  • 3-7 September 2025: India was the Guest of Honour country at the Moscow International Book Fair. The Ambassador inaugurated the India Pavilion, and the Fair was attended by senior Indian and Russian officials and literary figures.
  • 4-15 October 2025: the Second Indian Film Festival was held across five Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Yakutsk and Vladivostok.
  • 11 October 2025: the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha arrived in Elista, Kalmykia, for exposition. They were accompanied to Russia by the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Keshav Prasad Maurya, and back to India by the Lt. Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha.

Cultural visits

From 8-12 May 2026, the Director General (DG) of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Mrs. K. Nandini Singla, visited Russia to inaugurate "Bharat Utsav: Days of Indian Culture" and the Indian Film Festival in Elista, Republic of Kalmykia. She met His Holiness Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Geshe Tenzin Choydak to discuss opportunities for students from Kalmykia to study in India.

During the same visit, the DG met the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia in Elista and interacted with members of the Indian diaspora in Moscow.

Russia's Minister of Culture, Ms. Olga Lyubimova, visited India in May 2025 for the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit 2025 (WAVES 2025) in Mumbai. She met the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, to discuss bilateral cooperation in cinematography.

Indian students in Russia

The brief describes cooperation in education as longstanding. One of its most visible aspects is the presence of about 20,000 Indian students in institutes in Russia, taking courses in medicine, engineering, economics, sciences and other subjects. Medical students make up the largest group among them.

Indology and Indian languages

Indology is taught in several Russian universities, along with Indian languages such as Hindi, Sanskrit and Pali. The brief adds that a number of Russian universities and institutions teach Indian languages.

School and university cooperation

At school level, the Atal Innovation Mission of India and the SIRIUS Center work together as part of an initiative envisioned by the Prime Minister and President Putin.

For higher education, including collaboration between universities and institutes, the brief names these main mechanisms:

  • the Educational Exchange Programme (EEP) between the two governments
  • the Network of Higher Education Institutions of India and Russia (known as the RIN)
  • the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)
  • the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) programme