India–Russia Military Logistics Pact Now Active, Enables Base Access and Troop Deployment Support – Obnews

India and Russia have operationalized a major military logistics agreement that allows both countries to use each other’s bases and deploy limited forces on their partner’s territory. The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement, known as RELOS, strengthens defence cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow and is expected to improve coordination during long distance military operations in both peacetime and conflict scenarios.

Under the agreement, each country can support the deployment of up to 3,000 military personnel along with access for five naval vessels and ten fighter aircraft on the other’s territory. The pact, signed in Moscow in February 2025, will remain in effect for five years and can be extended further if both sides agree. Defence planners see the arrangement as a practical step toward improving operational flexibility and logistics readiness between the two longstanding strategic partners.

One of the key strategic advantages for India is expanded access to Russian Arctic region infrastructure, including major ports such as Murmansk and Severomorsk. As the Arctic grows in geopolitical importance and maritime activity increases in the region, Indian access to northern sea routes and logistical facilities could support future naval mobility and cooperation in emerging strategic corridors.

Russia is also expected to benefit from enhanced logistical cooperation with the Indian Navy across the Indian Ocean region. The agreement enables support services such as refuelling, maintenance, spare parts supply, and operational provisioning, helping reduce the time and cost required for extended naval deployments far from home bases.

Unlike India’s logistics agreement with the United States, known as LEMOA, the RELOS framework includes provisions that allow limited troop stationing and even cost settlement through exchange of goods instead of direct payments. Defence analysts say both agreements reflect India’s multi alignment strategy as it continues to maintain strong partnerships with multiple major powers. A 2025 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted that Russia remained India’s largest defence supplier between 2020 and 2024, accounting for about 36 percent of the country’s total arms imports during that period.