Russia has begun the delivery of its S-400 air defence system to India, despite the possibility of sanctions by the United States (US) against India over the deal.
The news about the delivery of the systems was confirmed by Dmitry Shugaev, the Russian Director of Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. Shugaev said, “Russia has started supplying S-400 air defence system to India, the first division will be delivered by the end of 2021.” Another Russian official quoted by The Hindu said that the first elements of the system had already reached India; the deliveries are being made by both sea and air routes.
This is in furtherance of a $5.5 million deal between India and Russia for five S-400 regiments, which was signed in October 2018. The delivery is critical for India, which is currently caught in border conflicts with two of its neighbours, China and Pakistan. In fact, the Chinese army has stationed two of its own S-400 squadrons across Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. In this respect, the Russian air defence missile systems will give a much-needed boost to India’s defence capabilities, allowing India to better defend itself against enemy fighter aircraft and cruise missiles from a distance of 400 kilometres.
While the delivery is being celebrated as a major victory for India’s defence capabilities, it could prospectively trigger sanctions against India under the US’ Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), 2017, which seeks to deter US allies from purchasing defence equipment from Russia and other adversaries. In pursuance of this law, the US has already sanctioned Turkey for the purchase of the same equipment.
In March, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his concern about India’s purchase of the S-400 system. He said that allies and partners must avoid “any kind of acquisitions that will trigger sanctions.” However, India has maintained that the deal was underway before the CAASTSA law was brought into force and, therefore, could not be used to justify sanctions against India.
Moreover, India has already been reducing its reliance on Russian weapons. From 2016 to 2020, there has been a 53% drop in Russian arms exports to India. Simultaneously, its defence ties with the US have increased, with arms sales hitting $3.4 billion in 2020.
That being said, the announcement about the delivery of the S-400 air defence systems comes just weeks before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India and the first India-Russia 2+2 ministerial dialogue. During the meeting, the two sides are likely to confirm deals on cooperation in trade and energy, and also discuss regional issues such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. More importantly, the meetings are also likely to feature discussions on several pending defence deals, including those for Ka-226T utility helicopters, Ak-203 assault rifles, and Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defence systems.
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