New Delhi / Moscow: Senior executives from some of India’s largest defence companies, including Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, held a series of confidential meetings with Russian officials in Moscow on October 29–30 to explore potential joint projects, according to people with direct knowledge of the discussions.
The delegation was led by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary of Defence Production, and included representatives from defence manufacturing firms and government-linked bodies. The meetings were held just weeks before President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India on December 4–5, and are believed to form part of the groundwork for fresh bilateral defence cooperation.
Sources said that while government officials attended the discussions, the involvement of private defence startups especially those working in drones, AI systems, and next-generation battlefield technology was not clearly reported.
Both the Indian Defence Ministry and the companies involved have declined to comment, and did not respond to specific inquiries. The visit by the business executives had not been previously disclosed.
Balancing Moscow and the West
Indian officials familiar with the meetings stressed that New Delhi continues to manage its defence engagement with Russia “carefully,” balancing long-standing ties with growing partnerships in the West.
India has maintained that cooperation with Russia does not undermine its defence relations with the US, France, or other Western allies. However, Western diplomats remain uneasy: roughly 36% of India’s current military inventory is of Russian origin, raising concerns about sensitive technology transfers and interoperability.
Scope of the Discussions
The talks were described as broad in scope, focusing on future co-development and co-manufacturing opportunities across land, air and strategic systems. However, sources clarified that no concrete agreement including the possibility of manufacturing MiG-29 fighters or specific air-defence platforms was finalised.
The individuals describing the meeting did so on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Companies and Industry Participation
Among the Indian companies present was Bharat Forge, part of the Kalyani Group, which manufactures missile, artillery and armoured platform components. Officials indicated the firm could explore future collaboration with Russia in areas involving tanks, aircraft and helicopters.
The Adani Group, meanwhile, denied that Ashish Rajvanshi CEO of Adani Defence and Aerospace represented the company in Moscow.
A representative from the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) shared a broad directory of more than 500 defence and military equipment companies in India, including major private-sector players such as Tata Sons, Larsen & Toubro, and Public Sector Undertakings like Bharat Electronics Limited.
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