Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will depart for Moscow next week for a three-day visit to attend Russia’s Victory Day Parade and commission a new guided-missile stealth frigate for the Indian Navy. The timing of his visit is critical, as delays in key Russian defence deliveries—including the S-400 Triumf air defence systems—are increasingly straining India’s military preparedness amid a volatile security environment involving both China and Pakistan.
India is expected to convey its serious concerns over the delayed delivery of the final two squadrons of the S-400, which are now not expected until 2026—well beyond the original timeline under the $5.43 billion deal signed in 2018. The S-400 is central to India’s layered air defence strategy, and the absence of the remaining systems has created vulnerabilities, particularly along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and in western sectors facing Pakistan.
Three squadrons have been deployed since 2021 in strategically sensitive regions, but operational gaps remain. These are compounded by wider supply chain disruptions linked to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has diverted manufacturing capacity and slowed the flow of critical spares for frontline platforms like the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets and T-90S tanks.
“Supply constraints are not just logistical—they directly impact force readiness,” defence officials confirmed, underscoring the operational risks at a time of heightened regional tensions and the looming possibility of a two-front conflict.
Despite these challenges, Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier, accounting for over a third of its defence imports. However, New Delhi’s growing pivot toward Western suppliers and indigenous defence production reflects a strategic rebalancing amid concerns over Russia’s reliability as a long-term partner.
Further delays—such as the expected delivery of a leased nuclear-powered attack submarine now pushed to 2028—add to India’s strategic concerns, especially given the Navy’s expanding role in the Indo-Pacific. Rajnath Singh’s visit will include oversight of the near-complete INS Tamal, the second of two Russian-built Talwar-class stealth frigates under a 2016 agreement. The ship is expected to arrive in Indian waters by June 2025 and will be the last imported warship before the Navy fully shifts to indigenous construction.
His engagements in Moscow will include a comprehensive review of military-technical cooperation, with a sharp focus on speeding up deliveries and improving maintenance support for existing Russian-origin systems—key to shoring up operational readiness.
These talks take on added urgency ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to India and the BRICS Summit later this year. With China rapidly modernising its missile and aerial capabilities, India’s need to complete the S-400 induction is not just about hardware—it is essential to maintaining credible deterrence.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
