As the Russia-Ukraine war rages in Eastern Europe, many are asking why India has remained largely silent on Russia’s invasion of the tiny country.
A look back in time will give some clues.
On August 9, 1971, India signed the Treaty of “Peace and Friendship” with the Soviet Union, which laid the foundation for the famous victory in the Bangladesh Liberation War that took place three months later.
In 1971, faced with an unacceptable refugee burden, India faced a dire situation. The US and Britain, as well as China, were on Pakistan’s side in the upcoming conflict.
India’s only possible course was to bring the balancing forces of the Soviet Union to its side.
A treaty signed in New Delhi by Sardar Swaran Singh and the redoubtable Andrei Gromyk of the Soviet Union—the foreign ministers of their respective countries—ensured that India would freeze any Anglo-American and Chinese aid to Pakistan.
How Russia Helped India Win the 1971 War
Task Force 74 was a naval task force that existed twice. The first Task Force 74 was a mixed allied force of Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy ships that operated against Japanese forces from 1943 to 1945 during the Pacific campaign. The second Task Force 74 was assembled from the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet, which was deployed to the Bay of Bengal by the Nixon administration in December 1971, at the height of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.
The Soviet Union actively supported Indian actions both politically and militarily during the war and also deployed two groups of cruisers and destroyers as well as a submarine armed with nuclear warheads in response to the US military presence in the area.
The Indo-Soviet treaty provided India with cover against any possible Chinese intervention to aid Pakistan if a conflict broke out. It was clear to the Pakistani leadership that armed Indian intervention and the secession of East Pakistan were becoming inevitable.
Pakistan launches Operation Chengiz Khan
On 3 December, Pakistan launched Operation Chengiz Khan, marking the official start of hostilities of the Indo-Pak War of 1971. India’s response was a defensive military strategy in the western theater and a massive, coordinated and decisive offensive sortie in the eastern theater. . On December 5, the United States began attempts at a UN-backed cease-fire, which were twice vetoed by the USSR in the Security Council.
India extended its recognition to Bangladesh on 6 December.
On 8 December, Washington received intelligence reports that India was planning an offensive against West Pakistan.
It was in this situation that the United States dispatched a ten-ship naval task force, US Task Force 74, from the Seventh Fleet off South Vietnam to the Bay of Bengal.
The task force was to be led by the USS Enterprise, at the time and still the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
The 75,000-ton Enterprise was the largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world with 70 fighter aircraft. The Indian Navy was led by the 20,000 ton INS Vikrant with 20 fighter aircraft.
At the same time, the United Kingdom sent its aircraft carrier HMS Eagle to the Arabian Sea. If things went as planned, India would be caught in a ‘pincer’ attack. US in the Bay of Bengal, UK in the Arabian Sea, while Pakistan on land, India was caught.
The US and Great Britain hope that China will attack India as well.
India sends SOS to Moscow
She quietly sent a request to Moscow to activate a secret clause in the Indo-Soviet Security Treaty, which bound Russia to defend India in the event of any external aggression.
To counter this dual British-American threat, Russia dispatched a nuclear-armed fleet from Vladivostok on 13 December under the overall command of Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov, commander of the 10th Operational Battle Group (Pacific Fleet).
Although the Russian fleet included a significant number of nuclear ships and nuclear submarines, their missiles had a limited range (less than 300 km). Thus, in order to effectively counter the British and American fleets, the Russian commanders had to take the risk of encircling them in order to get them to their destination. They did it with military precision.
At this point, the Russians intercepted a message from the commander of the British carrier battle group, Admiral Dimon Gordon, to the commander of the Seventh Fleet: “Sir, we are too late. There are Russian nuclear submarines and a large collection of battleships.” The British ships fled toward Madagascar while the larger American task force halted before entering the Bay of Bengal.
The war of 1971 is regarded as the finest hour of modern India from a military point of view. Quick response by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force; a brass band led by the legendary Sam Manekshaw; and constant international lobbying by the political leadership worked well to ensure the victory and liberation of Bangladesh.
