Analysis shows over 50,000 sensitive items including UAV, missile and aerospace parts have reached Russian defence firms via India since 2022.
Flows of sensitive items to Russia from India have risen sharply from major European sources such as the UK, Sweden and Switzerland.
Strider research details how Russia is widening its footprint in India's manufacturing, research and technology sectors while European governments and firms also engage.
The report advises European governments and firms to embed economic security steps into supply chain, investment and research choices as ties with India deepen.

Strider Technologies, a top strategic intelligence firm, released a new study today that details how Russia is bypassing sanctions to obtain sensitive parts through Indian middlemen, taking advantage of the manufacturing, trade and research networks that support Europe's ties with India.

While Europe builds commercial links with India via the EU-India Free Trade Agreement and Security and Defence Partnership, and the UK launched its own closer trade deal with the country this month, Strider findings indicate that deeper ties with growing economies can drive expansion yet also create economic security exposure.

Strider's study, titled Contested Ground: Russia's Parallel Engagement in India and the Risks to Europe's Economic Security, shows that since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022 more than 50,000 sensitive or dual-use goods have reached Russian defence companies through Indian routes. These include fibre optic parts and high-performance processors suitable for advanced military uses such as unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles and aerospace systems.

Many of these goods came from European economies.

From 2022 to 2025 UK-origin sensitive goods shipped from India to Russia rose 180 percent compared with 2019 to 2021.
In the same span sensitive goods from Sweden grew 455 percent and those from Switzerland grew 131 percent.
Similar rises occurred from allied non-European sources, with a 529 percent jump from Australia, 459 percent from the United States, 253 percent from Japan and 180 percent from Canada.

Europe and the UK's fresh trade pacts with India represent a key move to boost economic strength and expand relations with a major growth market, said David Vigneault, Strider's Chief Intelligence Officer. Yet the current geopolitical setting requires governments and firms to weigh competitive realities alongside these prospects.

Our findings reveal that Russia is using many of the same manufacturing, research and technology networks to keep access to vital capabilities and avoid sanctions, Vigneault added.

This does not oppose closer ties with India; rather it underscores that economic security must be part of commercial choices from the start. Firms that pursue supply chain checks and risk intelligence early will best secure gains from new markets without creating lasting weaknesses, Vigneault concluded.

The report further observes that shared academic networks and talent pools can transfer knowledge outward as readily as physical supply chains. Strider data shows that since 2022 joint publications between Russian and Indian research bodies have stayed above 2,000 per year, especially in AI where multiple cooperation deals have been signed since 2022.

As India strengthens its position as a global manufacturing and import centre for Western-origin goods it becomes more attractive to Russia as a transit point in Moscow's sanctions avoidance efforts. For European companies active in India the exposure comes from unintended involvement. The report ends with suggested steps for public and private leaders to spot and handle risk in global commercial settings, including greater supply chain visibility, end-use tracking and close coordination between commercial plans and economic security policy.

The full report, Contested Ground: Russia's Parallel Engagement in India and the Risks to Europe's Economic Security, can be obtained directly from Strider.

About Strider

Strider is the leading strategic intelligence company empowering organisations to secure and advance their technology and innovation. Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology alongside proprietary methodologies, Strider transforms publicly available data into critical insights. This strategic intelligence enables organisations to proactively address and respond to risks associated with state-sponsored intellectual property theft, targeted talent acquisition, and third-party partners. Strider has operations in 16 countries around the globe with offices in Salt Lake City, UT; Washington, DC; London; Tokyo; and Sydney.