Russia Confirms India To Receive Remaining S-400 Air Defence Missile Systems By 2026

New Delhi: Russia remains firmly committed to delivering the remaining units of the S-400 Triumf air defence system to India by 2025-26, according to Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Russian Embassy in New Delhi. 

Speaking to PTI on Monday, Babushkin confirmed that the contract for the final two squadrons is progressing as scheduled, aligning with the timelines announced earlier.

India had signed a USD 5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 system, a highly advanced platform capable of neutralizing a range of aerial threats over long distances. 

Three of the five squadrons have already been delivered.

S-400’s Performance in India-Pakistan Tensions

Babushkin pointed out that the S-400 system had “performed very efficiently” during recent India-Pakistan tensions, underscoring its operational value. 

"We heard that the S-400 performed very efficiently during the recent clashes between India and Pakistan," he said.

Expanding Defence Cooperation

Highlighting a strong history of military-technical cooperation, Babushkin hinted at an expansion of the bilateral defence partnership. "The air defence systems… this is one of the promising topics of our partnership in defence preparation in general," he said.

He also expressed Russia’s readiness to further discuss joint projects, especially in areas like anti-drone systems. "We are open for promotion of this partnership for the discussion of the expansion of dialogue on air defence systems," he said.

Babushkin noted that anti-drone systems are already a part of ongoing defence dialogue between the two nations.

“We are facing this threat for several years already… I think it would be a joint interest from both sides how to counter this threat and lead to some other cooperation,” he said.

Possible Visit by Russian Foreign Minister

Babushkin also hinted at an upcoming diplomatic engagement, revealing that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov may visit India soon. “The exact dates are not yet finalised, but it can happen anytime soon. We expect this month,” he said.