ISLAMABAD: Russia has delivered a significant blow to India’s navalambitions by imposing strict conditions on the lease of an Akula-classnuclear-powered attack submarine, explicitly prohibiting its use in anywartime scenario, diplomatic and defence sources confirmed on Thursday.
The multi-billion-dollar agreement, finalised during President VladimirPutin’s visit to New Delhi, allows India to operate the submarine for aten-year period starting 2028, primarily for training Indian Navy personnelin nuclear submarine operations. However, Moscow has inserted a clearnon-combat clause that prevents the vessel from being deployed duringhostilities, effectively neutralising its strategic value in a potentialconflict with Pakistan or China.
Defence analysts in Islamabad described the Russian stipulation as a majorsetback for New Delhi, which had anticipated using the submarine as asecond-strike asset and a deterrent in the Indian Ocean region. Therestriction mirrors similar conditions attached to previous leases ofRussian nuclear submarines, including the INS Chakra-II that was returnedin 2021.
Sources familiar with the negotiations revealed that Russia insisted on thewartime exclusion to safeguard its technology and avoid being drawn intoSouth Asian conflicts, particularly amid heightened tensions between Indiaand Pakistan. The clause ensures the submarine remains a training platformrather than an operational war-fighting asset.
Pakistan’s strategic community has quietly welcomed the development,viewing it as evidence of Moscow’s continued neutrality in the longstandingIndo-Pak rivalry despite deepening defence ties with New Delhi. Russiaremains one of Pakistan’s key partners in counter-terrorism cooperation andenergy projects.
The Indian Navy currently operates one nuclear-powered ballistic missilesubmarine, INS Arihant, but lacks sufficient attack submarines capable ofhunting enemy vessels. The inability to employ the Russian platform incombat limits India’s power projection capabilities at a time when Chinesenaval presence in the region is expanding rapidly.
Military observers noted that the non-combat restriction effectivelyprevents India from using the submarine during any future crisis similar tothe 2019 standoff following the Balakot airstrike, when the previous leasedRussian submarine played a deterrent role despite never engaging in directcombat.
Read Top Stories
The development underscores the delicate balancing act Russia continues toperform between its traditional strategic partnership with India and itsgrowing engagement with Pakistan.
Source:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-04/russia-to-lease-nuclear-submarine-to-india-with-wartime-ban
Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/russia-to-hand-over-akula-class-submarine-to-india-by-2028/articleshow/115987654.cms
Tags: Russia, India, Pakistan, Nuclear Submarine, Akula, Indian Navy
ogimageimage-name
