Army chief Dhiraj Seth heads to Russia amid push to deepen defence ties

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Chief of Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth will travel to Russia on Wednesday (September 15, 2026) for an official visit during which he is expected to hold discussions with the Russian military leadership on a range of issues, including new military platforms being offered by Moscow.

Sources in the defence establishment said Gen. Seth is scheduled to meet senior military leadership during the visit. The discussions are expected to provide an opportunity to review ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries from a land-forces perspective.

A key issue likely to figure in the discussions is the availability of spare parts and supplies for Russian-origin equipment currently operated by the Indian Army, sources said.

Gen. Seth is also expected to take forward ongoing discussions on the upgradation and modernisation of existing systems, besides exploring cooperation in new military platforms and technologies being offered by Russia.

The visit comes amid efforts by India and Russia to deepen defence cooperation while gradually expanding the relationship beyond the traditional buyer-seller framework. The two sides have increasingly been looking at joint production and technology cooperation.

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