India and Russia Ink 20 MoUs to for Broader Strategic Roadmap

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From migration and healthcare to polar-water training, customs cooperation, academic partnerships and big-ticket media MoUs — New Delhi and Moscow lay out a roadmap for strategic cooperation till 2030.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, December 5, 2025 — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India on Friday produced a sweeping set of outcomes across labour mobility, healthcare, maritime cooperation, fertilisers, academia, customs, economic strategy and media collaboration, marking one of the most comprehensive India–Russia engagement rounds in recent years.

The two sides signed 20 MoUs and agreements, revealing a broad reset of bilateral cooperation aligned with the 2030 strategic roadmap.

Migration & Mobility

Two major agreements were concluded:

A pact enabling temporary labour activity for citizens in each other’s territories.
A cooperation agreement to combat irregular migration, formalising joint mechanisms on documentation and enforcement.

Health & Food Safety

India’s Ministry of Health and Russia’s Health Ministry signed a cooperation agreement spanning healthcare, medical education and science.
Another pact between FSSAI and Russia’s consumer protection authority strengthens bilateral food safety standards and inspection systems.

Maritime & Polar Waters

With Arctic shipping emerging as a strategic frontier, India and Russia inked MoUs on:

Training specialists for ships operating in polar waters, and
Cooperation between India’s Ports, Shipping & Waterways Ministry and Russia’s Maritime Board.

Fertilisers

A major MoU was signed between UralChem, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, National Fertilizers Limited and Indian Potash Limited, boosting long-term supply security for India’s fertiliser needs.

Customs, Posts & Commerce

A protocol between India’s CBIC and Russia’s Federal Customs Service enables exchange of pre-arrival information on goods and vehicles, aimed at faster clearance and tighter compliance.
India Post and Russian Post signed a bilateral postal cooperation agreement.

Academic Collaboration

Partnerships were announced between:

Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune and Tomsk State University
University of Mumbai, Moscow State University, and Russia’s RDIF Management Company

Media Collaboration

Prasar Bharati concluded five separate MoUs with Russian media groups including Gazprom-Media, National Media Group, BIG ASIA, TV-Novosti, and TV BRICS, promising content exchange, co-production and broadcasting cooperation.

Announcements

India and Russia unveiled the Strategic Areas of Economic Cooperation Programme till 2030. Moscow announced its decision to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA). Cultural collaboration will expand through the exhibition “India. Fabric of Time” in Moscow. India also extended 30-day gratis e-tourist visas and group tourist visas for Russian nationals on a reciprocal basis.

The expansive agreements reflect a deepening Indo–Russian partnership at a time of shifting global economic and geopolitical alignments.