View from Delhi: India-Russia defence pact on troop, warship and aircraft deployment comes into force

The India-Russia RELOS agreement, which allows deployment of troops, warships and aircraft in each other's territory even in conflict scenarios, has come into force, ‘India Today’ reports.

A landmark defence agreement between India and Russia has come into force. The pact, unique for India, allows the two countries to station troops, warships and military aircraft in each other's territory, even in conflict situations. Experts have said the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) agreement came even as a Donald Trump-led White House turned increasingly towards Pakistan, squandering the decades of upswing in ties with India.

Though the India-Russia RELOS agreement was signed in Moscow on February 18, 2025, its ratification came earlier this year. The details of the pact emerged after Russia's official legal information portal published them on April 18. Alongside deepening defence cooperation, the pact also provides India access to ports along the northern sea route from Valdivostok to Murmansk, which can be used for shipping LNG imports from Russia's Yamal Peninsula.

An American lawyer, Gordon C Chang, highlighted the development on social media, noting that Washington's growing tilt toward Pakistan might be pushing India closer to Russia with tangible strategic consequences.

So what is the RELOS pact that was signed between India and Russia? And how do New Delhi and Moscow benefit from the agreement?

What is the India-Russia RELOS Pact?

The agreement was signed in Moscow on February 18, 2025. Russia ratified it in December 2025, with President Putin signing it into law. It entered into force on January 12, 2026, and details were published on Russia’s official legal portal on April 18, 2026. This is when discussion started on the agreement which is unlike any other. India doesn't allow any foreign country the use of its territory for use in conflict situations.

The pact establishes procedures for the reciprocal movement and temporary deployment of military formations, warships, and aircraft. It covers joint exercises, training, and HADR missions, along with logistical support including accommodation, medical care, transport, supplies, water, electricity, and repairs.

Specific services include port calls, berthing, repairs and refuelling for warships, and air traffic control, navigation support, parking, and ground handling for aircraft. A note on Russia's State Duma’s website stated that the agreement would simplify mutual use of airspace and port calls by warships, thereby strengthening overall military cooperation.

How do India and Russia benefit from RELOS Pact?

This pact extends operational reach for New Delhi for long-range naval deployments and exercises in the Arctic and Pacific. Furthermore, defence expert Sandeep Unnithan told India Today Global that, "this agreement provides access to Russian facilities in the strategically vital Arctic region, including ports along this northern sea route from Vladivostok to Murmansk. It supports India's growing interest in LNG imports from Russia's Yamal Peninsula". This is particularly important as India seeks to diversify its energy imports after the war in Iran disrupted supplies from the gulf.

The RELOS pact also eases supply of vital spare parts required for the sustainment and overhaul of Russian-origin platforms (which form a major part of India's inventory) amid sanctions-related challenges (take, for instance, the US' CAATSA which sanctions countries for purchasing Russian equipment, with the S400 system purchased by India requiring a waiver from the US to go ahead).

It reduces costs for joint activities like the resumed INDRA naval exercises and enhances interoperability without new infrastructure.

For Russia, the pact grants access to Indian facilities in the strategically vital Indian Ocean Region. This improves endurance for deployments far from home bases, helps Moscow maintain a global posture despite Western isolation, cements defence ties, and enables smoother coordination in the Indo-Pacific.

Is India-Russia RELOS Pact answer to US's LEMOA?

India has also signed a similar agreement with the US known as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) back in 2016. The pact allows the US and India to use each other’s facilities and provides for easier access to supplies and services for military forces of the two countries. That being said, unlike RELOS, which allows Moscow and New Delhi to station troops on each other's territory, LEMOA has no such provision.

The coming into force of the RELOS pact is a continuation of the deep bilateral defence cooperation that India and Russia have sustained since the Soviet era. This takes Delhi-Moscow defence ties to a new high in a world that's grappling with armed conflicts.

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