Describe INDO-RUSSIA relations in brief.

India has maintained good relations with all the post-communist countries but its relations with Russia are an important aspect of India's foreign policy. The relations during the Cold War were as given below:

(i) Economic: Russia gave aid and technical assistance for steel plants like Bhilai, Bokaro,Visakhapatnam and machinery plants like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. The Soviet Union accepted Indian currency for trade when India was short of foreign exchange.

(ii) Political: The Soviet Union supported India's stand on Kashmir issue in the UN. It supported India during the war with Pakistan in 1971.

(iii) Military: India received most of its military hardware from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union entered into various agreements allowing India to jointly produce military equipment.

(iv) Culture: Hindi films and Indian culture became popular in the Soviet Union. A large number of Indian writers and artists visited the USSR.