India – Russian bargain and raw deal

April 29, 2023

India – Russia

bargain and raw deal

Padmini Arhant

Indian government’s defense procurement from Russia disproportionately increased since Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 until now.

The economic trade provides Russia the benefit of the best of both worlds in stymieing any western sanctions and simultaneously funding Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Indian government – New Delhi on the one hand claiming political edge over western policy snubbing sanctions in the import of Russian crude oil at huge concessions is far from reality.

Russian President Vladimir Putin having established the motto – no cheap bargains and definitely no freebies with economic partners in Europe or elsewhere, the Russian crude oil exports to India is pegged with Russian defense stock procurement.

New Delhi political dissemination on heavily discounted Russian fuel deal like all other propaganda serve as campaign material with national election in 2024.

In fact, the Russian energy discount is well and over compensated in Russia’s favor with higher markups on defense sales like Missiles and other artillery purchased by New Delhi following Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is able to overcome economic strife with or without sanctions at New Delhi’s deficit essentially providing Russian President comfort zone to prolong military intervention in Ukraine.

In contrast, New Delhi expending taxpayers money on expansive and expensive defense budget largely at the defense force expense with the launch of controversial Agnipath sizably slashing defense personnel recruitment across three divisions – Army, Navy and Air Force besides denying armed forces retirement and medical benefits abandoned long held defense force conventions.

New Delhi’s mega shopping free boosting foreign economies while depleting Indian reserves and current account with imports far exceeding exports is also the administration incentives viz. bribe to foreign heads to corral international support to the head of the Indian government confronted with turbulence at home in many fronts beginning with Adani economic debacle  to Pulwama and Poonch gate on terrorism.

Meanwhile, none of New Delhi’s extravagant defense procurement evidently has deterred China in invasion and incursion of Indian territories and Himalayan terrains nor contained Pakistan’s terror outfits’ skirmishes along the Kashmir and Punjab border.

New Delhi regime economic divestment offshore worsening Indian financial liability to strengthen personal position in political system that has departed from democracy to autocracy is the red herring with 2024 election bugle sounding off trepidation among power and population disillusionment on national status quo.

Padmini Arhant 

PadminiArhant.com

Prakrithi.PadminiArhant.com

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