OPINION: Finally, Russia enters Indian Ocean |
Russia’s century-old dream of reaching warm waters quietly materialised during President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to India. For generations, Russian strategists—from the Tsars to the Soviet admiralty—sought reliable access to the Indian Ocean, the gateway to global trade and energy. That ambition had always been blocked by geography, rival powers, or political constraints.
The agreement termed ‘RELOS’ changed that in one stroke. With India opening its ports and logistics network to the Russian Navy, Putin’s trip to New Delhi early this month effectively turned a historic aspiration into operational reality. Russia is now no longer confined to the frigid northern seas—it has finally secured a southern maritime foothold in the world’s most strategic ocean.
What looks like a bureaucratic logistics pact is, in fact, the breaking of a strategic monopoly.
The ‘RELOS’ logistics pact between India and Russia has triggered one of the most profound shifts in the global power architecture since the end of the Cold War. For the first time, Moscow now gains routine naval access to the Indian Ocean through India’s ports, airfields, and maintenance facilities. This breaks the long-standing US monopoly over the world’s most strategic maritime space—the artery of global oil, energy routes, and Asia–Middle East shipping.
‘RELOS’ is not a routine military agreement. It hands Russia the ability to refuel and repair thousands of kilometres from home, opening a new front in great-power competition.
In return, which is hardly a counterbalance, India’s navy and air force gain reliable access to Russian facilities across the Arctic and Pacific, including ports along the Northern Sea route, enhancing sustained maritime presence and operations in previously inaccessible........