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Explained: India-Russia logistics agreement, with eye on Arctic, Indo-Pacific
The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) will come into force after the formal exchange of instruments of ratification between Russia and India.
President Droupadi Murmu, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a group photograph during the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. Express photo by Renuka Puri
Days after his two-day official visit to New Delhi on December 4-5, Russia President Vladimir Putin has signed into federal law a major military cooperation agreement with India.
The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) was ratified by both houses of the Russian Parliament before receiving presidential approval. It will come into force after the formal exchange of instruments of ratification between Russia and India.
What RELOS entails
The agreement sets out procedures governing the movement of military formations, warships and military aircraft between Russia and India, as well as the arrangements for providing logistical support to each other’s forces. It will facilitate the mutual use of airspace by Russian and Indian military aircraft, and has provisions related to port calls by warships of both countries.
It is designed to regulate not only the dispatch of troops and military equipment, but also the logistics associated with such deployments. This includes support services that may be required when forces from either country operate on the other’s territory.
The established framework is intended to be applied during joint military exercises and training activities, as well as in situations involving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. That said, the agreement also allows for its provisions to be used in other scenarios, subject to mutual consent by both sides.
Significance for Delhi, Moscow
For India, RELOS provides an institutional framework for access to Russian air and naval bases, from Vladivostok on the Pacific to Murmansk on the Arctic, for refuelling, repairs, and maintenance, boosting operational reach and readiness, especially for Russian-origin equipment.
Not only does this deepen the existing defence partnership between Russia and India, it supports New Delhi’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy by leveraging Russia’s extensive network: access to over 40 Russian bases will help the Indian Navy and Air Force to operate further from home, and during long-range deployments.
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Reciprocally, the Russian military will gain greater access to Indian ports and airfields for refuelling, repairs, and operations. RELOS will thus institutionalise support for Russian forces in the Indian Ocean, and bolster Russia’s position in a multipolar world.
Similar pacts with US
RELOS is similar to existing agreements — LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement), and BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) — with the US. However, it has been tailored to the India-Russia dynamic.
COMCASA, inked in 2018, permits the US to give India encrypted communications equipment and systems, allowing Indian and US military leaders and their planes and ships to communicate over secure networks in both peace and conflict. LEMOA, inked in 2016, enables the US and Indian militaries to refuel from one another’s military bases and get supplies, spare parts, and services from each other’s land facilities, air bases, and ports. BECA facilitates sharing of high-end military technology, including access to US geo-spatial, satellite, and drone data.
While these pacts strengthen India, a key US partner in the QUAD, to balance Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, for the US, they make India a more capable and interoperable partner in its strategic goal towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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