Russia accounted for half of India's arms imports during 2016-20

On Thursday, as Russia declared an incursion into Ukraine, European countries and allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced they would impose more sanctions. US President Joe Biden also threatened more sanctions against Russia in a televised address.

Although India’s reliance on Russia has been declining, Russia still accounts for most of India's arms imports. A Business Standard analysis of data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows 49.4 per cent of India’s arms imports between 2016 and 2020 were from Russia, and 0.5 per cent were from Ukraine. In the previous five years, between 2011-15, Russia accounted for 69.6 per cent of India's total arms imports.

In 1996-2010, the share was 70 per cent.