Conflicts and India's relations

Many of the new countries faced conflict:

• Inside Russia, Chechnya and Dagestan saw violent secessionist movements, crushed by force.
• Tajikistan suffered a civil war lasting about ten years, until 2001.
• In Azerbaijan, the province of Nagorno-Karabakh wanted to join Armenia; in Georgia, two provinces wanted independence.
• Central Asian states quarrel over river waters.

Central Asia is rich in oil and gas, so outside powers, Russia, China and the US, compete for influence there. The US even set up military bases in the region.

In the Balkans, Yugoslavia broke apart in violent ethnic wars after 1991 (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and others). By contrast, Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

India and the Soviet Union were close friends during the Cold War:

• Economy: Soviet help built steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro and Visakhapatnam, and machinery plants like Bharat Heavy Electricals. Trade was done in rupees, saving India's scarce foreign currency.
• Politics: the USSR backed India on Kashmir at the UN and supported it in the 1971 war.
• Military: most of India's defence equipment came from the USSR, often with technology shared.
• Culture: Hindi films and songs, especially Raj Kapoor's, were hugely popular there.

India and Russia today: both want a multipolar world with many centres of power, not one. Russia supplies arms, helps with nuclear energy and space (it gave India the cryogenic rocket technology when others refused), and is an important energy partner. The two have signed over 80 agreements.

For India, Russia also means access to Central Asia and a balance in the region. For Russia, India is a big buyer and a trusted partner.