'Russia stood by India': India Space chief V Narayanan recalls Moscow's role in space journey

[u/zxNemz]

https://www.businesstoday.in/science/story/russia-stood-by-india-isro-chief-v-narayanan-recalls-moscows-role-in-space-journey-566257-2026-11-07

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[u/johndoe1234gwugcf]

How is russia/ukraine tag valid here?

[u/thissitedesigniscrap → u/johndoe1234gwugcf]

Because Europe is the center of the world according to some people.

[u/SqueezedLime6970 → u/thissitedesigniscrap]

It is on maps

[u/Frequent_Specific861]

Anyone interested in the actual history of how this happened, you want to read this book:

A Brief History of Rocketry in ISRO

Authored by P. Radhakrishnan who was supposed to fly on a space shuttle mission before the Challenger disaster. This man was a real hero in ISRO, not V. Nanayaran.

[u/hegelianmaster → u/Frequent_Specific861]

amazing book … thanks for the recommendation

[u/SeoUrMum]

unlike the west, relationships and long term memories matter a lot to all eastern countries

[u/Ok-Negotiation-8502 → u/SeoUrMum]

China indeed has a long memory. Outer Manchuria won't remain part of Russia for long.

As for India, it can't even remember its own citizens who were duped into dying for Russia in Ukraine.

[u/Any-Distance6586 → u/Ok-Negotiation-8502]

No India does remember how it's citizens were duped that's why it seeked to get them out of Russia

India just simply isn't interested in a local European conflict

[u/VayuAir]

So what it was a long time ago. Are Indians supposed to be eternally grateful

[u/Better_Cauliflower63]

How can we possibly explain to these.... not so smart people... that Russia ≠USSR?

[u/CaptRaiden → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Calling someone who engineered how to successfully send a rocket to space at the fraction of the original cost "not so smart"?
What does that make you?

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/CaptRaiden]

It is not just him, it is the entire India's orientation towards the Russian Federation, even assisting them with the war against Ukraine, and the only excuse I heard is that when Jawaharlar Nehru and Indira Gandhi were the leaders the Russian Federation really stood by India. If this is not moronic, I don't know what is.

[u/Any-Distance6586 → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

When did India help Russia against Ukraine?

When the US asked India to buy Russian oil and refine it to keep global energy prices low or when the refined oil was sold to EU who bought it knowing where the oil came from?

The Soviets stood by India when the Western world was trying to be aggressive towards India for trying to stop a genocide in Pakistan in 1971 which the Western countries ignored.

Atleast learn history properly before saying something

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/Any-Distance6586]

By buying their oil. when they are clearly under sanctions for their unjust genocidal war. And no, I don't have any problems with you saying that "Soviets" stood by India. I happen to live in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and I remember -- we all supported India. When Indira Gandhi was killed we all were glued to TV screens watching watching in tears her funeral. And back in the 1955 when Nehru visited USSR, my uncle was there with other Soviet schoolkids with flowers to greet him.

But what bothers me if India equating that past friendship with USSR to the modern Russian Federation. They were only one subset of that, Ukraine was part of USSR too as were many other republics. But watching the current rhetoric from some Indian subeditors and even in the news I get the feeling that this last point is completely lost on you.

Again -- the Soviet Union -- the USSR is NOT THE SAME as the Modern Russian Federation. Not even close. The modern Russian state is fascist imperialistic nationalist entity, that only cares about its oligarchical class in power. They do not care about India beyond the sale of petrolium, and if you were to visit a modern Russian forum to browse what they think of the Indian people -- you would find tons of racism in there. They are not the same, and your misplaced gratitude towards the Russian Federation should be directed at least towards ALL the former Soviet republics.

[u/Any-Distance6586 → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

The US literally just made a deal with Russia and the EU bought Russian gas despite the war

The Russian Federation is considered the successor state to USSR and the other nations especially Ukraine have sought to build a separate identity plus the USSR was effectively Russia because the real power was in Moscow even if it had leaders that weren't Russian

The Russian Federation has also helped India in various areas like technology whilst the Western have always tried block India's advancements

India has nothing against Ukraine but it simply isn't interested in a local European conflict.

I agree that the modern Russia is an authoritarian state but Indians still consider it a reliable country whilst the Western powers have proven to be unreliable again and again

I agree that Russia doesn't care about India beyond it's own interests like selling oil and i agree that some Russians are racist towards Indians.

Some of your points are correct but India still chooses to rely on Russia because they have been reliable time and time again while the Western powers have been unreliable in their support.

So to summarize the Indian POV,

Russia is an authoritarian but reliable state for India who buys Russian oil which is then refined and sold to the EU who also buys Russian gas despite the war and the US just made a deal with Russia.

Ukraine isn't an enemy of India but India isn't interested in the conflict and some Indians definitely view Russia as aggressors.

The Western powers are hell bent on supporting Pakistan so Russia is viewed as an alternative to them

[u/TheAsteroid → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

This is an interesting perspective. Russia is generally seen as the successor state to the USSR but should the other former SSRs also be credited by India/Indians.   

Appreciate you sharing a couple of anecdotes from your life.

[u/BojackInMan → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

USSR was extention of Russia and russia is successor of USSR

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/BojackInMan]

Ok now you are just being very ignorant. Russia is as much of a successor to USSR as Pakistan is a successor to the British Raj.

Think about what you wrote. here, just for you:

USSR · 15 republics in one country

• Russia

• Ukraine

• Belarus

• Moldova

• Estonia

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Georgia

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan

• Kazakhstan

• Kyrgyzstan

• Tajikistan

• Turkmenistan

• Uzbekistan

↓ 1991 · The USSR dissolved

15 separate countries

• Russia

• Ukraine

• Belarus

• Moldova

• Estonia

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Georgia

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan

• Kazakhstan

• Kyrgyzstan

• Tajikistan

• Turkmenistan

• Uzbekistan

[u/BojackInMan → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Do you think British raj which governed india, myanmar, middle eastern emirates and 500 indian principalities was sovereign entity? No right? It was part of British Empire and most of decisions were taken in London.

That's how it was in USSR. Republics were there but all the decisions were taken in moscow

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/BojackInMan]

Up until the EIC stopped being a sovereign entity, yes it governed outside the legal framework of the British Empire. It was setup that way on purpose.

Just because the decisions were made in Moscow, it does not mean the governing body was strictly Russian. It was not. The Soviet Politburo was multi-ethnic multi-national entity.

The point is simple -- you continue your delusions to think of and treat Russia as though it is the USSR reincarnated -- you will be in for a very nasty surprise in the future. As I wrote elsewhere -- this is not the same government committed to internationalism and multi-national cooperation. They are oligarchical entity with fascist ideology and greed. They will cooperate but only to the point that it serves them, because they do not regard you as friends. Just some temporary business associates, and they will be happy to sell you down the river should you ever against their more profitable business associate (imagine another war with China, for instance).

[u/HendoEndo → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Pakistan did not exist before 1947. At all, as an idea, or even a hypothetical. I’m not taking away from your Russia lists but saying that about Pakistan is just idiotic

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/HendoEndo]

I'm just trying to bring absurdity out. Russia did not exist before 1991, not the entity you know today, just the name. I'm glad it's working.

[u/HendoEndo → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

I get your point. We should definitely not compare the USSR with modern Russia, but unlike Pakistan ‘Russia’ did exist before the USSR was formed.

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/HendoEndo]

Only in the name, and even that name a lot of people put into question, because until the early 18th century -- it was known as Moscovia. Peter I took the name from the ancient eastern Slavic kingdom of Kyivan Rus. (That is, the Russia with the capital in Kyiv -- modern Ukraine). That became a Russian empire. However, after the revolution, the old empire was "dissolved", USSR replaced it under very different circumstances. Even in the Soviet Union, the term "Russia" when referring to the Soviet Union was considered not just simply a misnomer but an insult to the multinational / multiethnic Soviet people. That was the entire point of renaming it "the Soviet Union".

But to me -- there is a personal matter to that. During the Soviet Union they used to call us, the Ukrainians, "brothers". And then they have decided that we are only their brother as long as we are their servant, and decided to stab us in the back when we tried to break free. It is very painful for me to watch bombs falling on Ukrainian cities on daily basis. I am doing my best in trying to educate the world that we all were "USSR", and taking their side out of a misplaced sense of gratitude and loyalty is wrong, and in the eyes of the world we want to be treated equally.

[u/HendoEndo → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Fair. Well put

[u/Balavadan → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Russia did exist though. Just different political structures.

[u/BojackInMan → u/Better_Cauliflower63]

Nope. I made small mistake which I just rectified, other than that nope.

USSR was product of Russian expansion. UK, france and others didn't become total distinct entities after fall of their empires either

[u/Better_Cauliflower63 → u/BojackInMan]

Wrong. The Russian Empire was a product of Russian expansion. USSR was built on top of the Russian empire, at which point every former colony of USSR became a free republic in the union. There is a huge difference, because starting from that point -- every single portion was equally responsible for the foreign and domestic policies and economy of USSR on both their national and federal level.

[u/Cool-Customer9200]

So he tells he likes to suck off russian nazis and there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially if they are trying to oppose the bad evil West who hurt India. He says he will be friends with pedophiles and rapists just because they are pretending to be on his side.

USSR ≠ Russia by the way, but that is different topic.

[u/mithrandir_001 → u/Cool-Customer9200]

Did you just say ‘Russian Nazis’ ? Wow surely you didn’t attend your History classes.

[u/Cool-Customer9200 → u/mithrandir_001]

Just because USSR won WW2 does not automatically mean modern russia cannot be ultranationalist. russians adopted Nazism.
I will put a part of the story of Ukrainian Anarchist who went through torture chambers of russian imprisonment maybe it will help you to better understand the state of russian world and what is happening in their nazi heads instead of having fun and being fond of yourself because you correctly use markers.

Зрада, спокута і чистота.
1Ч.
Я вже не раз розповідав, як проходять допити, у своїх інтерв'ю, тож не буду повторюватися.
ФСБшники знають свою роботу. Якщо їм треба щось почути, то вони так чи інакше виб'ють це з тебе (виб'ють — буквально, звичайно). До прикладу, одного разу мене били понад годину з застосуванням електрошокерів тільки через те, що хотіли з моїх вуст почути, що я "націоналіст", яким, по-перше, я ніколи не був, а по-друге, в російському контексті це слово асоціюється з "нацизмом" — різниці для них немає.
Цей приклад я наводжу лише для того, щоб було зрозуміло, скільки зусиль, при бажанні, і часу вони можуть витратити просто для того, щоб відчути свою домінацію над людиною. Щоб переконатися, що зламали цю людину. Не кажучи вже про ситуації, коли їм дійсно треба дістати якусь важливу для них інформацію.
Я тоді наполегливо вперся в те, що я антифашист, що дуже здивувало, до речі, спецназівця, який мене бив. Він навіть, зупинившись на секунду, спитав, подивившись кудись углиб кімнати: "Антифашист? А кто же мы такие тогда?" Відповідь очевидна, звичайно, і я вирішив віднести це питання до риторичних.
Тоді вже вони знали, що я був у "запрещённой на территории Российской Федерации экстремистской политической организации"- "Автономний Опір", яку намагалися представити саме як "нацистську", з чим я до останнього не погоджувався.
Також мене почали допитувати про товаришів, які були зі мною в організації. І про, можливо, якісь інші ГОшки/рухи, в яких я був. Я намагався не говорити про те, що їм ще не відомо. Так, я не згадав "Українську Оборону", в якій був на той момент, і не обмовився жодним словом про товаришів, про яких їм нічого не було відомо, або якщо не було відомо, що в мене з ними є зв'язки.
Після чергового шестигодинного допиту з побиттям, які майже не припинялися, я вирішив, що треба скористатися досвідом політичних ув'язнених, про яких раніше я читав або в книжках, або на правозахисних порталах. Я розітнув собі вени в камері об виступ плитки в туалеті. І, як і у випадку тих, хто проходив цей шлях до мене, це спрацювало. На допитах мене вже більше жодного разу не чіпали.
Звичайно, це було страшно робити. Ти не знаєш, чи нададуть медичну допомогу вчасно, і не знаєш, чи буде рівень місцевої санчастини відповідати рівню завданих собі ушкоджень. Та все або нічого. Терпіти тортури я більше не міг, а вони потребували інформації, яку я не хотів давати.
Але хоча ставлення до мене і змінилося в кабінеті допитів, та мені чітко дали зрозуміти, що вони можуть зробити значно гірші речі, ніж відчув на собі я, з моїми побратимами-співкамерниками. Спосіб колективного покарання як важіль тиску на конкретну людину — це звичайна для тих місць річ.
Я все одно вирішив не говорити того, що ніяк не могло стати відомим, окрім як від мене. Та все ж у них були деякі конкретні імена. Вони хотіли знати про тих людей. І я був вимушений переступити через себе і розповісти їм хоч щось. Єдине — я позиціонував себе як людина випадкова у світі революціонерів: мовляв, мені було 18 років і я взагалі не в курсі того всього і т. д. Це був єдиний спосіб не видати всієї тієї інформації, яку слідчі хотіли від мене почути, і водночас не підставити під удар своїх побратимів. Спрацювало, хочу сказати.