This article covers cooperation between India and Russia in defence, science and technology, nuclear energy and space, and training under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. It is based on the MEA brief of June 2026, which presents these areas as cooperation between two partners and has no material on lines of credit or grants.

Defence cooperation

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, the "longstanding and wide-ranging" military technical cooperation between India and Russia has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems. The brief also describes Russia as an important source for the supply of defence equipment, engines, spare parts and components.

Several defence platforms are assembled or produced in India, such as T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI aircraft. Both sides have also been exploring co-development and co-production of defence equipment and platforms, including the possibility of export to other countries, such as the Brahmos system. On 1 July 2025, INS Tamal, the latest stealth multi-role frigate, was commissioned in Kaliningrad.

Defence Ministers and the IRIGC-M&MTC

Raksha Mantri (RM) Shri Rajnath Singh and the Russian Defence Minister, Andrey Belousov, co-chaired the 22nd session of the IRIGC-M&MTC at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, on 4 December 2025, before the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. RM had earlier visited Russia from 8-10 December 2024 to co-chair the 21st session in Moscow, and called on President Putin during that visit.

On 28 March 2026, the two Ministers held a bilateral meeting on the margins of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth represented India at the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May 2025, the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45).

Working-level meetings in 2025 included:

  • the 5th Meeting of the Working Group on Military Cooperation of the IRIGC-M&MTC, held in New Delhi on 28-29 October 2025
  • the 23rd Working Group Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation and Defence Industry, held in Moscow on 29 October 2025, where the Indian delegation was led by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production)

Military exercises

The brief records these exercises in 2025:

  • INDRA-2025, the 14th edition of the India-Russia joint training exercise, held in Bikaner, Rajasthan, from 6-15 October 2025 with more than 250 servicemen from each side
  • Zapad-2025, at Nizhny Novgorod in Russia on 10-16 September 2025, in which a contingent of 65 Indian Armed Forces personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy took part
  • the bilateral naval exercise INDRA 2025, conducted from 28 March to 2 April 2025 in two phases: a harbour phase at Chennai and a sea phase in the Bay of Bengal
  • the AVIA INRA exercise, held in Thanjavur in December 2025

Science and technology

The brief states that science and technology has played a key role in the partnership, especially in the early days after India's independence. India and Russia now work together on basic sciences, materials science and mathematics, and on areas such as India's manned spaceflight programme (Gaganyaan) and nanotechnologies.

Cooperation is guided by the new roadmap for Science, Technology & Innovation signed during the 21st Annual Summit in New Delhi in December 2021. According to the brief, the roadmap is expected to boost innovation-related engagement and to focus on the commercialisation of technologies and full-cycle support for joint projects of economic and societal impact.

Meetings of the Russia-India Working Group on Science and Technology take place regularly under the IRIGC-TEC mechanism. They bring together representatives of the relevant ministries, universities and scientists of both countries.

Nuclear energy

According to the brief, India's only nuclear power plant established with another country is at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. It was established in collaboration with Russia.

ITEC training

The brief describes Russia as an active partner country for Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarships. Around 17 Russian nationals took part in ITEC in 2024-25 and around 23 in 2023-24, compared with 100+ during the pre-Covid years. The Embassy celebrated ITEC Day on 19 September 2025.