A contingent of Indian soldiers will leave for Russia in the next few days to receive training on operating the S-400 air defence systems, as the first batch of this missile system will be supplied to Moscow later this year. Is expected to do by Officials gave this information on Tuesday. Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay R. Kudashev, while speaking to a group at the program held at the Russian Embassy on Tuesday, said that the S-400 is an ambitious project to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
He said that Indo-Russian military and military technology relations are based on ‘extraordinary growing mutual interests’, harmonization, consistency and complementarity. It is noteworthy that in October 2018, India signed an agreement with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile system for five billion dollars. India signed the deal despite US President Donald Trump’s administration threatening to ban it. India paid the first instalment of $ 80 million in 2019 to purchase this missile system. The S-400 is Russia’s most modern long-range ground-to-air missile defence system.
Recently, the US has imposed sanctions on Turkey against buying the S-400 missile defence system from Russia. Officials said that about 100 Indian soldiers will leave for Russia for the S-400 training program this month. According to the release issued by the Russian Embassy, Kudashev said that military cooperation is the mainstay of the special and proud strategic relations of the two countries and the friendship between India and Russia is important for stability in the region and the world. “It is based on our mutual trust and this sentiment is reflected in our bilateral and multilateral commitments and our views are based on equality under international law and joint charter,” he said.
The ambassador said, “Our partnership has been strengthened during the exit from the two polar worlds and successfully working in the current multicenter order.” Russia is expected to start supplying the S-400 later this year. Kudashev said that along with the S-400 scheme, both sides are moving forward on successfully implementing the AK-203 Kalashnikov Agreement, the KA-226 helicopter program, as well as cooperation in the field of fighter aircraft including the Sukhoi-30 MKI is growing
