What does the India-Russia logistics agreement enable?

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The India-Russia Bilateral Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), called the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreements (RELOS), which has been in the works for several years, became operational in January this year. Social media has recently been abuzz with claims that it is allowing 3,000 Russian troops to be stationed on Indian soil or vice versa, marking it as a military alliance. However, it is like every LSA that India has signed with other countries.

What are logistics support contracts?

The Logistics Agreement is a basic military cooperation agreement between countries for administrative purposes that allows mutual use of the other country’s bases and ports for supplies, repairs and fuel. The agreement also sets out the occasions when it can be used, generally for exercises, joint training, port stops and humanitarian and disaster relief. As defense cooperation and military engagement become vital in international relations, the agreement simplifies basic administrative procedures and cuts red tape.

For example, an agreement with the US, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), signed in 2016, the first of its kind, provides a framework for mutual provision of logistics support, supplies and services for activities such as joint exercises, training or humanitarian and disaster relief. “It does not provide for the establishment of any bases or base arrangements,” Defense Minister Subhash Bhamre said in a written reply in Parliament in February 2017.

Logistics support, supplies and services include food, water, accommodation, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, communication services, medical services, storage services, training services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance, calibration services and port services, as stated by the Ministry of Defense with respect to LEMOA.

If the hyperbole is to be believed, India and Russia can deploy their troops on their territory, then by convention it also means that India and the US can do the same under LEMOA. But that is grossly incorrect, as the Minister made clear, and it applies to every LSA.

What are the existing agreements?

India signed a number of logistics support agreements from LEMOA in 2016. Currently, India has similar agreements with nine countries – the US, UK, France, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Singapore and Russia – on similar lines to provide logistical support and technical assistance. The basic template and purpose for all of these remains the same. There is also one with Oman covered by an umbrella defense cooperation agreement.

The agreement essentially allows the military to use essential services and settle accounts through a simplified process. It enables faster turnaround times, thereby increasing on-station times for ships and aircraft. For example, during the anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Navy ships as well as P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft used these arrangements for rapid operational turnaround without having to return home, thus extending their range and resilience.

In 2020, India invoked the logistics pact to procure high-altitude clothing from the US as the India-China dispute in eastern Ladakh was at its peak with more than 50,000 troops sitting out winters.

The UK has also taken advantage of the LSA, with Royal Navy ships receiving spare parts manufactured by Indian shipyards during visits and the ships also undergoing basic maintenance at Indian shipyards.

What is the deal with Russia?

Like other agreements, RELOS defines procedures for the support of military formations, port stops of warships and the use of airspace and airport facilities by military aircraft of both countries and the organization of logistics and technical support of military formations of warships, military aircraft and other equipment.

The agreement was signed in Moscow on February 18, 2025, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law ratifying it on December 15, 2025. According to the Kremlin, the purpose of the agreement is to define procedures for the deployment of military formations, the stopping of warships in ports, and the use of airspace and airport infrastructure by military aircraft of both countries.

In general, RELOS covers joint military exercises, training, HADR missions, port and repair services, medical support, as well as the supply of food and technical resources, and reciprocal access to military installations, including air bases and ports, to support naval and air personnel.

The agreement sets a maximum of 3,000 troops, a broad upper limit that takes into account the size of contingents and the number of ships or aircraft they can visit during engagements mutually agreed upon by both sides. It is valid for five years and allows for later revisions to reflect changing circumstances and requirements. The time frame for the deployment of assets and personnel will depend on a visit mutually agreed upon by both sides, one of the officials said.

The range of bilateral and multilateral relations between India and other countries is actually much larger. Indian armed forces are now training with the US.

The agreement also makes no provision for the permanent location of assets, and the agreement will apply during joint exercises, port stops or visits mutually agreed upon by the two nations based on the agreement’s provisions, the officials clarified. “No permanent or long-term placement was agreed as part of the deal.”

One important aspect is that RELOS allows access to Russian military installations in the Arctic, as both countries expand cooperation there as new navigation routes open up as a result of global warming.

(Dinakar Peri is a security fellow at Carnegie India)