Russia
Introduction:-
- Russia was the largest part of the Soviet Union before its dissolution.
- After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Russia emerged as the most powerful successor to the 'Republic of the Soviet Socialist Union' (USSR).
- Russia has immense reserves of minerals, natural resources and gases which make it a powerful state on the global stage.
- In addition, Russia is a nuclear-powered state with a huge stockpile of sophisticated weapons.
- Russia is also a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, also known as the P-5 .
Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (25 December 1991):-
- In December 1991, the former Soviet Union disintegrated and 15 new nations emerged.
- Barring the three Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—the remaining 12 states form a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), headquartered in the capital of Belarus, Misk.
- These countries include Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldovia, Yuken, Belarus.
- Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are jointly called the 'Caucasus States' .
- Russia still includes 76% of the territory of the former Soviet Union .
- It is the largest country in the world spread over two continents.
- Its spread from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east is 9,000 km. is in the area.
- 4,500 km from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Carcass mountain range in the south. Its extension is in the distance.
- The Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Inspian Sea divide this country into European and Asian parts.
- The Caucasus Mountains are spread between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south-western part of Russia.
- Elbrus is the highest mountain peak in Russia. It is in the Caucasus Mountains.
Importance of Russian cooperation for India:-
- Russia has been instrumental in enhancing the power and technical capability of the Indian Navy.
- Presently India has been provided with nuclear submarine INS Chakra (SSN) by Russia . Also, Russia is likely to deliver another nuclear submarine to India in the near future. .
- In the development of the country's space program, India has been getting the support of Russia since its inception and even today Indian astronauts are trained in Russia.
- Russia has also contributed significantly in the establishment of nuclear power plants in India.
- Russia's capability and experience in important and strategic areas like Defence, energy, space etc. has been very helpful to India.
- The Brahmos missile, the upgrade of the M-46 gun , etc. are the prime examples of strong Indo-Russian relations in the defense sector.
India - Russia Defence, Nuclear, Energy Relations:-
- Since the end of the Cold War, India has sought to establish a strong long-term energy partnership with Russia.
- India and Russia should focus on enhancing cooperation in the already ongoing defense hardware and nuclear energy sector. And if there is a loss in the Indian market in both these areas, then it can give a big blow to Russia and India may have to be deprived of advanced technology.
- For all these reasons, in the meeting held in St. Petersburg, India and Russia agreed to establish an "energy corridor" and emphasized the use of natural gas as a relatively clean and climate friendly fuel.
- But during the recent visit there was no discussion about the cooperation of the fifth generation fighter aircraft, co-production and development of which was agreed between the two countries for almost a decade ago.
Conclusion:-
- We can say that since India's independence , Russia has been instrumental in the development of the country's local capacity in defense, space, nuclear energy, industrial technology and many other important areas.
- The relations between India and Russia have been very strong since the beginning, but like any other partnership, it has felt the need for some improvements over time.
- In view of the present shared interests of India and Russia, bilateral relations can be given new energy by linking India-Russia cooperation in the defense sector with the ' Make in India' initiative.
