No big deal
Moscow and New Delhi have a strategic defence relationship and Russia isn’t going to risk that over a pea-sized helicopter deal. Boris Volkhonsky, head of the Asian sector of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies,
feels that although India has always tended to react badly to the idea of arms being supplied to Pakistan, he doesn't expect collaboration between Moscow and Islamabad to cause problems. “India and Pakistan both buy weapons from the US, and this has not bothered (India),” he says.
Indeed, India has purchased defence equipment from the US, France, the UK and Ukraine – which have regularly supplied arms to Pakistan – without its relations hitting turbulence with any of these nations. So long as Russia doesn’t cross the red line by supply strategic weapons like jet fighters, submarines or missiles to Pakistan, India doesn’t have any reason to be alarmed. As Chemezov assures, “Our strategic partner has always been and will be India.”
No turbulence: Russian choppers rule subcontinental skies | Russia & India Report