India Sees Surge in Pro-Russian Sentiment After Operation Sindoor

With US President Donald Trump appearing to have hyphenated India and Pakistan, making no mention of sponsored terrorism in his statement to announce a "ceasefire" between the two nations, pro-Russian sentiment has witnessed a visible uptick post-Operation Sindoor in India.

This comes after the Russian weapons, including the widely acclaimed S-400 air defence system and the joint Indo-Russian venture, supersonic BrahMos missile, performed exceptionally well during India's Operation Sindoor, earlier this month.

Not only did the S-400 earn immense love and praise from Indians and military pundits alike for neutralising wave after wave of Pakistani drones and missiles, but the BrahMos missile won plaudits for decimating Pakistani air bases and radar sites after the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out retaliatory strikes on the Islamic Republic's military installations in response to the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) failed attempts to attack India's military infrastructure on May 8, 9 and 10.

"Heartfelt thanks to Russia, our all-weather friend, for supporting India with vital defence equipment which came in handy during Operation Sindoor. When Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited India in 1955, he emphatically supported India's sovereignty over Kashmir and said, 'We are so near that if ever you call us from the mountain tops, we will appear at your side,' reinforcing Soviet backing during India's tense relations with Pakistan and other Western powers. What he said in 1955 is also true in 2025," stated Yogesh Singh, the Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious University of Delhi (DU).

"India owes a debt of gratitude to Russia. Without its S-400 air defence system—which Delhi procured in the face of intense American opposition—Indian towns would look very different today. From the advent of the Indian republic, Russia has been its most reliable partner," wrote author Kapil Komireddi on social media.

Even geopolitical pundits have backed these assertions, with retired Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel JS Sodhi, author of China's War Clouds: The Great Chinese Checkmate, declaring that Russia and India have backed each other for more than three-quarters of a century.

In 1971, during the run-up to the Indo-Pakistan war, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had written letters to 61 countries, seeking their support; only three nations responded positively - USSR (Soviet Union), Israel, and Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia broke into multiple states, and the USSR disintegrated in the 1990s. Subsequently, Russia took on the mantle of the erstwhile Soviet Union in international relations, and even after 54 years of the Bangladesh Liberation War, Moscow have stood steadfast with India for all these years, the military pundit highlighted.

"More significantly, Russia has never allowed its territory to be used for any kind of anti-Indian activity, something that can't be said about Western nations like the US, Canada, and Britain. For decades, Khalistani terrorists have found safe haven there," Sodhi told Sputnik India on Monday.

Besides, during Operation Sindoor, the Russians stood by India, with President Vladimir Putin condemning the Pahalgam terrorist incident repeatedly and backing India's right to respond, he added.

Notably, the S-400 air defence system that New Delhi acquired from Moscow proved to be the backbone of the Indian air defence network during the three nights of hostilities between the two South Asian arch-foes, the commentator underlined.

"Together, the S-400 and other Indian indigenous air defence systems successfully repelled numerous attacks carried out by Pakistan on India's civilian and military infrastructure, allowing India to dominate the proceedings in aerial warfare during Operation Sindoor," Sodhi asserted.

Explaining the reasons behind the trust between the Russo-India partnership even in today's geopolitics, Dr Rajan Kumar, an academic at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Studies, told Sputnik India that the Russian and Indian relationship is unique.

He pointed out that the goodwill that the people and the leadership of the two states share makes this partnership click at all times.

"Without any doubt, India trusts Russia more than any country in the world. Similarly, Russians have exemplary faith in India. People tend to forget that Russia has had an antagonistic relationship with China in the past, but it has never had bitter ties with India, which sums up the depth of their commitment to each other," Kumar concluded.

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