COAS Russia visit begins Wednesday, when General Dhiraj Seth arrives in Moscow for a three-day trip that runs through Friday. A Ministry of Defence statement said the visit is aimed at strengthening the longstanding defence partnership and military-to-military cooperation between India and Russia.

The COAS Russia visit begins with a Guard of Honour in Moscow

On arrival, Gen Seth received a ceremonial Guard of Honour and paid homage to fallen soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, the Indian Army said, sharing images of both engagements.


Talks with the commander of Russia's Land Forces

Gen Seth then held talks at Russian Land Forces Headquarters with Colonel General Andrei Nikolayevich Mordvichev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces. The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including deepening military cooperation, expanding training engagements and strengthening capability development between the two armies.

Procurement enters the conversation at the National Defence Control Centre

The visit also takes Gen Seth to the National Defence Control Centre in Moscow, where he is scheduled to interact with senior officials of the Russian Ministry of Defence, including Vasily Sergeyevich Osmakov, the Deputy Minister of Defence who handles defence industry and procurement. The official readout said the engagements are meant to let both sides exchange perspectives on contemporary military developments and ways to expand defence cooperation.

The visit follows weeks of anticipation

The COAS Russia visit begins after weeks of anticipation, with earlier accounts widely reporting the trip in advance and flagging spare parts for Russian-origin equipment, the Pantsir-S1M air-defence system and a new-generation BMP as likely discussion points. The Ministry of Defence statement does not name specific systems, but it places procurement on the agenda alongside training and cooperation.

Official channels highlight the Moscow engagements

The Indian Army's public communication wing shared photographs from the Guard of Honour and the Russian Land Forces Headquarters meeting, tagging the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and Indian and Russian diplomatic missions in the two capitals.

A second leg in Saint Petersburg

As part of the visit, Gen Seth is next scheduled to travel to Saint Petersburg, where he will visit the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy and interact with its leadership and faculty. The COAS Russia visit is his first to Russia as Chief of the Army Staff, coming about a month after his visit to Nepal in August, where he received the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army.