Three Russian warships dock at Chittagong following Bangladesh Army chief's Moscow trip

New Delhi: Less than a week after Bangladesh Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman's trip to Moscow, three Russian Navy warships arrived at Chittagong Port on Sunday on a rare visit, signalling the Bangladesh military's interest in looking beyond China.

As the Russian ships - Rezkiy, Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Pechenga - entered Bangladesh's maritime boundary on a four-day visit, they were received by the Bangladesh Navy ship BNS Khalid Bin Walid.

The development marked Bangladesh's attempt to diversify its military partnership in a bid to reduce its dependence on China, according to experts. Russia's military, which has a sizable footprint in Myanmar, much to China's discomfort, is now seeking to explore a wider presence in Bangladesh, they said.


Bangladesh's army chief was on a rare four-day visit to Russia last week, close on the heels of interim regime chief adviser Muhammad Yunus' China visit. He held consultations with both civilian and military leaderships in Moscow, besides visiting arms manufacturing facilities.

Bangladesh Army is currently excessively reliant on Chinese origin defence equipment.