At least half a dozen senior executives from major Indian defence companies, including Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, reportedly held rare meetings in Russia this year to explore possible joint ventures, according to people familiar with the discussions. These meetings took place during the first visit by Indian defence industry leaders to Moscow since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reflecting India’s attempt to reshape its long-standing defence partnership with Russia toward joint development and co-production of weapons.
The visit occurred alongside an official Indian defence-industrial delegation that travelled to Moscow on October 29–30, led by Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar. This trip was part of preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled visit to India on December 4–5. The business executives’ parallel engagements had not been disclosed earlier.
India’s push for new collaborative defence projects with Russia carries strategic implications. New Delhi is seeking to expand its domestic defence manufacturing capacity under its Make in India vision, while at the same time diversifying away from dependence on any single foreign supplier. However, deeper cooperation with Russia may complicate India’s efforts to secure sensitive Western military technologies. Western diplomats have repeatedly noted that India’s extensive use of Russian-origin equipment—about 36 percent of its defence inventory—remains a major hurdle for technology-sharing with the United States and Europe.
Any move toward joint ventures with Moscow could slow progress on India’s parallel plans to co-develop advanced systems with Western defence firms. For Indian companies aiming to partner with Western manufacturers, closer ties with Russia may be viewed as a liability.
A spokesperson for the Adani Group denied that any executives from its companies attended the meetings. India’s Ministry of Defence and the other firms named by sources did not respond to requests for comment.
