The third Meeting of the Working Group on Military Cooperation of the Indian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) is being held at Manekshaw Centre in Delhi on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the issue of spare parts and maintenance issue of Russian-origin defense equipment used by India.

The meeting is being chaired by Lt Gen Johnson P Mathew, CISC HQ IDS from the Indian side, and Lt Gen Dylevskii Igor Nikolaevich, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from the Russian side. The Working Group Meeting is a forum established to progress defense cooperation between the two countries.

India which heavily uses Russian defense equipment discussed the issue of spare parts & maintenance with the visiting team amid the ongoing Ukraine war, it has been learned. From Sukhoi fighter jets to tanks to the Navy, Russian-origin equipment are key elements of Indian armed forces.

The Russia-Ukraine war has impacted military supplies to India. Besides challenges over the payment mechanism, Russia’s own requirements slowed down supplies to India. However, its has been learned that the Russian defense industry has bounced back and is focusing on the production of various defense items.

Russian state-run news agencies reported earlier this year that Russia had supplied India with $13 billion worth of arms in the past five years.

Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, India has maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are necessary to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and has boosted its trade ties with Moscow.