RISING INFLUENCE OF THE PATRUSHEVS IN INDIA-RUSSIA TIES

Putin aide Nikolai Patrushev's visit to Goa resulted in major deals on shipbuilding and Arctic exploration in Delhi. The roles of his sons Dmitry and Andrey have become more consequential too

- K P NAYAR

B ULLETS are bullish. The adage that war fills coffers is finally ringing true for India as the conflict in Ukraine is poised to enter its fourth year in less than three months.

A single sentence in the 'outcome documents' released halfway through Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India on December 5 is pregnant with bullish possibilities. The description of this particular outcome hides more than it reveals-a memorandum of understanding that "entails cooperation in various sectors of maritime domain such as shipping, ports, joint mineral exploration, research and development"

Two weeks before Putin's arrival in New Delhi, a visit to Goa by Nikolai Patrushev, chairman of Russia's Maritime Board, prepared the ground for what augurs to be the biggest militaryindustrial project to emerge from the 23rd annual India-Russia summit this month. The Maritime Board has identified Goa Shipyard as the base for production of frigates, corvettes, anti-mine and landing vessels as well as ice-breakers. Russia has also proposed continued production of Project 1135.6 class ships in Goa based on upgraded designs and state-of-the-art technology. Two such ships, Triput and Tavasya, based on Russian models, were launched for the Indian Navy in July last year and March this year, respectively.