In a clarification, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said that no fresh agreement has been signed and that the submarine lease referenced in the report pertains to an existing 2019 contract
The government on Thursday rejected a Bloomberg report claiming that India had finalised a new $2 billion submarine deal with Russia ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit, terming the report “misleading.”
In a clarification, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said that no fresh agreement has been signed and that the submarine lease referenced in the report pertains to an existing 2019 contract.
The headline of an article by @Bloomberg claims that ‘India Clinches $2 Billion Russia Submarine Deal as Putin Visits.’#PIBFactCheck
❌The claim made in this headline is misleading!
✅ No new deal has been signed between India and Russia.
✅ The submarine lease is based on… pic.twitter.com/huNTik8GJh
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) December 4, 2025
The delivery of the leased submarine, which had been delayed, has now been rescheduled for 2028, the government said.
Earlier on Thursday, Bloomberg reported that India was preparing to finalise a $2-billion lease for a nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia, with delivery expected within two years.
The report cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, noting that past negotiations had stalled over pricing but that recent visits to Russian shipyards had advanced the discussions.
This nuclear-powered submarine will remain with India for 10 years under a training-focused arrangement and “cannot be used in active combat,” sources told Bloomberg. Instead, it will “train sailors and strengthen nuclear-boat operational expertise as India builds its own indigenous nuclear-powered submarines.”
Nuclear-powered submarines are more advanced than traditional diesel-electric ones because they can stay submerged for longer periods, operate quietly, and are much harder to detect, especially in vast oceanic regions like the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
With inputs from agencies
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