By Admin 
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India for a 2-day visit on December 4. Putin will participate in the 23rd India-Russia summit. He will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu. But Putin’s visit to India is in the news for two big reasons. One reason is their security, which will take their urine back to Russia from India and the other reason is the fear of Putin being arrested. In ABP Explainer, let us understand why the Russian President’s security is special, will he be arrested in India and what will be the benefit of his coming to India…
Question 1- How is the security of the President of Russia different from that of other leaders of the world?
answer- The Presidential Security Service (SBP) is responsible for the security of Vladimir Putin. It is part of the Federal Guard Service (FSO), in which 50 thousand people work. This is 6 times more than the number of America’s Secret Service deployed for Trump’s security.
- Putin is always surrounded by 30 armed guards. Apart from this, there are also FSO people among the hundreds of people present around him. It could be anyone from an ice cream vendor to someone shouting slogans in the crowd.
- In 2019, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became closer to Putin. Suddenly Putin’s bodyguard rushed forward, and Putin stopped him by showing his hand.
- When Putin travels somewhere, his personal chef and portable lab also accompany him. Everything in their food is tested first. During the G20 summit in Japan in 2019, Putin brought a Russian chef and water bottles with him.
- Putin’s bodyguards have three types of briefcases in their hands. The first is a bulletproof shield. The second is to collect Putin’s biomaterial and the third is a nuclear briefcase.
- Putin doesn’t leave any trace wherever he goes. His guards clean all the fingerprints. They even collect their hair and urine. So that through them the enemy does not come to know about Putin’s illness and diplomatic advantage cannot be taken of it. Putin does not touch any electrical device. That is, do not even turn on the light switch yourself.
- Putin always wears a bulletproof suit, due to which there is a tilt in his gait. He travels in a bulletproof limousine car. It can also survive bomb proof and gas attacks. Putin’s driver can fire with one hand even while driving in reverse.
- He also uses his body doubles at sensitive places. In 2023, a Ukrainian intelligence agent claimed that Putin had at least three doubles who mimicked his physical appearance and voice.
Question 2- How will the security be when Putin comes to India?
answer- When Putin reaches India, his convoy will be fixed. In India, when will he meet PM Modi and President Draupadi Murmu, how will he meet, who will open the door, who will welcome him with flowers and who will be wearing which color clothes, all this will be decided in advance. If a person wore clothes of a different color, the security would be alerted and Putin would be protected.
Special forces units like FSO’s Spetsnaz unit i.e. Alpha Group and Vympel will be ready with Putin. These units are in constant touch with the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. In case of any danger, these units escort Putin to a safe place or to his aircraft IL-96 jetliner.
The IL-96 jetliner aircraft is a flying command center, which has all the necessary security features ranging from radar. Russian intelligence agency cyber team remains active while Putin is away from the Kremlin. In fact, there is a danger of Putin being arrested if he goes out of Russia.
Question 3- Who can arrest Russian President Putin and why?
answer- An agreement was reached in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998. In this, an International Criminal Court i.e. ICC was created to investigate and prosecute crimes across the world. 124 countries like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden are its members. That means, if a person convicted by ICC is caught in these 125 countries, he will immediately be sent to the ICC headquarters in the Netherlands.
On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin. He is accused of illegally taking Ukrainian children to Russia. ICC considers it a war crime. Putin did not go to the BRICS conference held in Brazil in July 2025, because Brazil is also a member of the ICC. There was no guarantee that Putin would not be arrested. Putin participated in BRICS through video conferencing. Similarly, Putin also did not attend the 2023 BRICS conference in South Africa.
On August 15, Putin and US President Donald Trump met in Alaska, America. Donald Trump and Putin chose Alaska for the meeting because it is an American state and America is not a member country of ICC. America does not accept the jurisdiction of ICC. On December 31, 2000, the then US President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Treaty in his last term. But after this the next President George W Bush refused to accept this agreement.
Question 4- So can Putin be arrested in India?
answer- No. There is no legal or practical basis to arrest Putin when he comes to India. India is not a member of ICC. Actually, India did not even sign the Rome Statute of 1998. Therefore, India is not bound by the ICC warrant. Even if India were a member of the ICC, it would not be forced to accept it, because the ICC’s warrant is an advisory one to its member states.
In 2015, when the ICC issued a warrant against the then President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, India did not arrest him. Then ICC had asked India to arrest Bashir and hand him over, but India did not do anything like that.
Question 5- What will be the benefit of Putin coming to India?
answer- Putin will participate in the 23rd India-Russia summit. This is part of the annual meeting between India and Russia. Every year both the countries host this meeting by turns. This time it is India’s turn. With Putin’s visit to India, India will benefit in areas like defence, energy, trade and diplomacy. This will strengthen our ‘special and privileged strategic partnership’ and despite American pressure, we will continue to get cheap oil and weapons from Russia. According to experts-
- 46% of the weapons of the Indian Army come from Russia. During Putin’s visit, there will be discussion on purchasing 5 more squadrons of S-400 air defense system (a deal worth about Rs 5,000 crore). This system was very useful against Pakistan in ‘Operation Sindoor’ in May 2025.
- A decision may be taken on 2-3 squadrons of the fifth generation Sukhoi-57 fighter jet. This will become a cheaper alternative to the American F-35.
- The deal for a 1,000-horsepower engine for the older T-72 tanks may be accompanied by technology transfer, which was signed in March 2025. Through this, production will increase in India itself. This will provide a boost to jobs and ‘Make in India’.
- Russia is India’s largest oil supplier. India will buy 1.6 million barrels of Russian crude oil per day in the first half of 2025, up from just 50,000 in 2020. This kept oil prices low and India saved billions of dollars annually.
- There will be new energy deals like joint projects in the Arctic shelf and Far East during Putin’s visit. MoU to build Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) in Maharashtra will move forward.
- Trump had imposed a 50% tariff on the purchase of Russian oil, to respond to which a ‘special mechanism’ will be created so that the oil supply continues without interruption.
- 40% of India’s oil requirement will continue to be met by Russia, which will control inflation. Energy will play a big role in the $100 billion trade target by 2030.
- India-Russia trade in 2024-25 was $68.7 billion, which is 6 times more than in 2022. But India’s deficit is 59 billion dollars. To balance this during Putin’s visit, market access in Russia will increase by focusing on Indian exports.
- Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be expedited. The 18-month plan from August 2025 will open the Russia-Belarus market for MSMEs and farmers.
Trade in national currency (Rupee-Ruble) will increase, dependence on dollar will reduce. There will be a forum for investment from Russia in IT, agriculture and healthcare.
Apart from this, Putin’s visit will strengthen India’s ‘strategic autonomy’. Will be able to continue deals with Russia despite American tariffs. This will send a message to America that India will take its own decision. Cooperation will increase on forums like SCO and BRICS. There will be discussion on issues like Ukraine, Middle East, where India will give the message of peace. MoUs will be signed in science, technology and culture.