Is Russia India’s Ally — or a Great Power Cashing In?
Opinion / analysis — India–Russia ties, defence, trade, and great-power economics. Numbers are rounded from open reporting; verify before citing as fact. For decades, Indians have been told that Russia is India’s “true friend” — a country that stood by New Delhi when the West would not. Strip away nostalgia and look at money, technology, trade, and geopolitics , and a sharper question appears: Is Russia really an ally — or a great power profiting from India’s strategic needs? This post walks through defence, nuclear energy, space, oil, trade, and diplomacy , with order-of-magnitude cost comparisons against the U.S. and Europe — where Moscow helps , where it charges , and how its pricing actually compares . India buys strategic goods from Russia at commercial rates; exports stay tiny vs Western markets — infographic for Blogger/social 1. Defence: ally in words, arms dealer in practice Russia remains among India’s largest defence suppliers . That does not mean Mosc...