As Russia projects its ‘great-power ambitions’ into India’s backyard, will it ‘irritate’ US, China?

Moscow’s recent drills with Myanmar, warship port-calls in Bangladesh – and plans for a base in Sudan – aim to show it’s not isolated, analysts say

But its hard power projection also risks complicating an already fraught geopolitical scene, and upsetting old partner India’s regional aspirations

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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks this month during an event marking “Constitution Day”. Photo: AP

Published: 8:30am, 18 Dec 2023Updated: 11:40am, 18 Dec 2023

Russia’s recent flurry of activity in the Indian Ocean reflects its desire to be seen as an equal and not a “fading power”, analysts say, though its outreach to Global South countries in “close strategic partner” India’s own backyard may pose a challenge to New Delhi’s regional ambitions – and security interests.

Last month, Russia held its first joint naval exercises with Myanmar and docked warships in Bangladesh for the first time in five decades, in moves widely seen as attempts to bolster its role in the Indian Ocean region.

But observers warned the actions could “complicate the geopolitical scene” and stir a hornet’s nest already fraught with a battle of the giants in the form of the US-China power struggle.

Putin shakes hands with Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September 2022. Photo: Kremlin/dpa

The November 7 to 9 naval drills in the Andaman Sea were trumpeted as “the first Russian-Myanmar naval exercise in modern history” by Moscow’s Defence Ministry.

Two anti-submarine ships, the Admiral Tributs and Admiral Panteleyev of the Russian Pacific Fleet, took part in the exercise alongside a frigate and a corvette from Myanmar’s navy.

Days after the exercise, the same Russian warships docked at Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port in the Bay of Bengal, marking a “huge milestone for Russia-Bangladesh relations”, according to the Russian embassy in Dhaka.

Richard Rossow, senior adviser and chair in US-India policy studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said such moves indicated that Moscow wanted to maintain the “perception” of being a global power.