India-Russia RELOS Logistics Pact: What Comes Into Force in April 2026

Around 19 April 2026, the operational details of the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) between India and Russia became public after Russia published the text on its official legal portal. RELOS was signed in Moscow in February 2025, ratified by Russia in December 2025, and entered into force on 12 January 2026.

The agreement allows the armed forces of either country to use each other's military bases, ports and airfields for logistics support — refuelling, repairs, spare parts, supplies, accommodation, medical care, ground handling, and air traffic and navigation support. Each side may station up to 3,000 military personnel, five warships and ten military aircraft on the other's territory at a time. The pact is valid for five years and can be extended.

For India, the most strategically interesting access is in the Russian Arctic, particularly facilities linked to ports such as Murmansk and Severomorsk. As polar ice recedes, the Northern Sea Route is becoming a viable shipping corridor that cuts the Europe-Asia distance by thousands of kilometres. RELOS lets the Indian Navy refuel and rest in the Arctic during long-range deployments and supports India's stated interest in Arctic research and energy. In return, Russia gets logistics access to Indian Ocean ports.

RELOS sits in a wider family of Indian logistics agreements — LEMOA with the United States (2016), and similar pacts with France, Australia, Japan, the UK and South Korea. India's stated position is that none of these are basing agreements; they are mutual, case-by-case access to logistics, in line with India's strategic-autonomy doctrine.

Exam angle: Expect questions on the RELOS year of signing (2025) and entry into force (January 2026), the troops-ships-aircraft caps (3,000 / 5 / 10), Arctic ports (Murmansk, Severomorsk), comparison with LEMOA, and the duration (5 years). Useful for UPSC GS-2 (international relations) and Defence/SSC GA.