Russia Miffed With India For Letting US Navy Officials Onboard 'Chakra' Submarine

Russia has accused India of committing an “unfriendly act” by granting the US officials access to the Russian nuclear submarine of Project 971I, operated by the Indian Navy since 2011.

According to Russian newpaper Kommersant, the appearance of technical specialists of the US Navy on board Chakra nuclear submarine has threatened to seriously complicate “negotiations both on the lease of the second nuclear submarine”, in addition to other projects in the field of military-technical cooperation between the two countries.

Kommersant’s source working in the military technical cooperation system, called the fact that the US Navy appeared on a Russian submarine located on the base near Vishakhapatnam, outrageous. "There were well-trained technical specialists, though unlikely to get any information," the source said.

According to the report, specialized Russian structures are preparing countermeasures against their Indian partners. "Very difficult conversations are on the horizon, we have a lot of questions," a source said.

The report noted that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who intends to come to India in December with one of the largest deals on Russian arms, will have to discuss the problems accumulated due to this. In addition, he must negotiate the creation of a fifth-generation fighter under an agreement which was signed back in 2007.

Currently, the Indian Navy operates the “Chakra” submarine, built in Russia based on the 971 “Shchuka-B” project. The agreement to lease the ship was signed in 2004, and is worth about $980 million (with the initial price being set at $650 million).