Ahead of Modi’s visit, inconsistencies surface in Russian state-backed media’s stand on Kashmir

30/06/2024

New Delhi: The Russian foreign ministry and the state-backed Russian media houses Sputnik and RT (Russia Today) have in recent months been inconsistent with recognition of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as a part of India.

“India also shares maritime borders with the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lanka to the south and Indonesia to the southeast. The disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with Afghanistan,” says the translated web page on bilateral ties between India and Russia published by the Consular Information Portal of the Russian foreign ministry.

Speaking to ThePrint, Swasti Rao, an associate fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), highlighted the “inconsistencies” of the state-owned Russian media houses and its depiction of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

“For a couple of months, since May, Russia Today (RT), a part of the state-owned RIA Novosti, called Jammu and Kashmir a ‘disputed territory’. Sputnik in India has one map and its international website has another. This inconsistency should be discussed with Russia,” said Rao.

She also pointed out the issue of the Russian ministry of foreign affairs website referring to Jammu and Kashmir as “disputed territory”.

#Russia’s stand on #Kashmir.

There is a reason why India needs to be careful even with good friends.

Look at the following link.

It is the official website of the Consular Department of Russian MFA. (English translation is available) https://t.co/GKejizNo9l

It clearly and… https://t.co/9QGgELjkmi pic.twitter.com/XsXKspUxeG

— Swasti Rao ラオ　スワスチイ (@swasrao) June 29, 2024

Recently, Sputnik published a map acknowledging the fact that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin are territories a part of India. In the past, however, the Russian state-owned news organisation has published different maps, with these territories shown as a part of Pakistan or China.

For example an infographic published by Sputnik in July 2023 on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and its expansion included a distorted map of India’s J&K and Ladakh.

The recent maps published by Sputnik came to light after it was announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in July.

Moscow has been a strong partner of India with regards to J&K, even coming out in support of the abrogation of Article 370, calling it an “internal matter”. In August 2019, the Russian foreign ministry also called on India and Pakistan to resolve any issues under the ambit of the Simla agreement and Lahore Declaration.

Rao also raised the issue of a report published in RT in May which referred to J&K as “disputed” in the headline. The post by RT on X has since been deleted.

No , Kashmir is an integral part of India. Don’t commit the travesty of calling it ‘Disputed Kashmir’.

Everything about this headline is wrong at all levels. @RT_com

@MEAIndia @PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia @DefMinIndia https://t.co/BObg5GGUza

— Swasti Rao ラオ　スワスチイ (@swasrao) June 27, 2024

Russia was the first of the Permanent Five (P-5) member countries in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to come out in support of the abrogation of Article 370.

In the past, Russia and the Soviet Union, have vetoed UNSC resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. In 1957, 1962 and 1971, the Soviet Union vetoed at least five resolutions on the India-Pakistan question between 1957 and 1971, preventing the situation from being dealt with by the United Nations.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

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