If, in the past, the word "Russia" mainly brought to mind oil, fertiliser, and defense contracts for the average Indian consumer, then from August 21, 2026, something new will be added to that list.
In Navi Mumbai, in the Belapur Central Business District, the Russian National Pavilion is opening under the national brand "Made in Russia" - a permanent venue where local retailers and distributors will be able to see and sample Russian food products, cosmetics and everyday consumer goods firsthand
The logic is simple: Indian businesses no longer need to fly to Moscow to discuss deliveries. The entire chain - from product tasting to contract negotiations - can now take place in the heart of India.
From diplomacy to the shelf
Russia and India have been building a strong partnership for decades. The Declaration on Strategic Partnership was signed in 2000, and in 2010, the relationship was upgraded to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, covering energy, defense, trade, technology, education and culture. But in the everyday life of the Indian consumer, this friendship was barely visible - major deals mostly concerned raw materials, not the consumer goods found on supermarket shelves.
The Russian National Pavilion is an attempt to change that.
In 2024, the leaders of Russia and India set a goal of bringing mutual trade turnover to $100 billion by 2030. By the end of 2024, it had already reached about $70 billion, demonstrating steady growth in bilateral trade and significant potential for further development. However, without growth in non-resource trade - that is, without entering the markets for food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods - reaching the $100 billion target will be difficult.
The Russian National Pavilion under the national brand "Made in Russia" is meant to help with exactly that.
What Indian buyers and businesses will gain
For Indian distributors and store owners, the Russian National Pavilion is a chance to try products before signing a contract, to find niche suppliers directly without intermediaries abroad, and to get help with customs and certification - the kind of bureaucracy that can delay cross-border procurement for months. Tastings, presentations and business meetings will be held at the venue, so the entire path from sampling a product to placing an ord can fit into a single visit.
Among the participants are the flour and pasta producer MAKFA, the confectionery holding "United Confectioners," the alcohol company "Tatspirtprom," the meat producer "Miratorg," the "Afanasy" brewery, and dozens of other Russian brands. In other words, this is not about an abstract concept of "Russian exports," but about specific products that Indian buyers will actually be able to taste. All of these companies have long exported around the world: to Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Who is running the project on the ground
The Russian National Pavilion will be run by the Indian company - RAI FAMILY CORP LLP. It is the one that will take on logistics, customs clearance and product promotion within local retail chains. The logic is simple: a Russian manufacturer knows its product, but doesn't always understand the rules of Indian retail and the local consumer preferences, and the local partner covers that gap.
Not a one-off initiative, but part of a network
The Russian National Pavilion in Navi Mumbai is not a unique experiment. Similar venues under the "Made in Russia" brand are already operating in China, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Egypt and Jordan. This means Russia views the Indian market not as a destination for a one-time entry, but as a space for long-term presence.
"By launching a pavilion in India, we are implementing a comprehensive strategy to integrate the 'Made in Russia' brand into the everyday lives of Indian consumers. This marks the start of building a large-scale retail network: following the establishment of a business communications center, we plan to establish a permanent brand presence online via marketplaces and offline through a network of branded stores and supermarket shelves. We are creating not just points of sale, but a unified infrastructure where every Indian will be able to find trusted, high-quality and unique products under a single mark of trust," said Konstantin Evstyukhin, Managing Director for the Development of the "Made in Russia" Pavilion Network at the Russian Export Center.
Scaling this infrastructure relies on specific features of the Indian market: its size, its rapidly growing middle class and shifting consumer preferences. It is precisely these factors that create opportunities for the long-term presence of Russian brands in the country.
"India is a market with enormous potential. A population of more than 1.4 billion people, a rapidly growing middle class, a high share of young people in the population structure - all of this creates steady demand for quality imported goods.
The Indian consumer today is open to new brands. They value quality, naturalness and interesting flavor profiles. Russian products - food, cosmetics, beverages - fit this demand perfectly," emphasized Mamed Akhmedov, head of the Russian Export Center's representative office in India.
"Made in Russia" - a mark of quality
"Made in Russia" is a state program for promoting Russian goods and services under a unified brand, which the Russian Export Center has been implementing for almost ten years. The national brand unites more than 2,500 companies and over 35 product categories.
Certified products under this brand can be purchased online and in retail in China, Vietnam, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.
As part of the program, companies' products undergo voluntary certification against one or more criteria: reliability, uniqueness, environmental friendliness and organic origin.
For the Indian consumers and buyers, this acts as a kind of preliminary quality filter: if a product is presented under the national "Made in Russia" brand, it means it has already been vetted before the company even became a participant in business negotiations.
Why is this matter to India
The $100 billion trade turnover target will not be achieved through government agreements alone - it requires thousands of real commercial deals between companies. The Russian National Pavilion under the national brand "Made in Russia" in Navi Mumbai is exactly this kind of practical tool: a place where an Indian entrepreneur can find a new supplier, test a product and bring it to market, without having to navigate the Russian market from scratch and on their own.
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