Indians are deeply pro-Russian, but its Asian friends are increasingly anti-Russian following the war in Ukraine. This makes Indians estranged

India is one of the very few nations in the democratic camp in the planet to have not denounced Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, in a surprise visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him, albeit in a cold shoulder.

But that still explains why India still views Russia too important. Despite the economic ties between two nations are minimal even compared to the size of India's trade with Japan and South Korea, Russia is the base of many Indian military hardware. Unexpectedly, Indians also have a lot of reason to love Russia - during the Cold War, while India was officially neutral, the country had leaned to Moscow following the 1971 war with Pakistan, an Indian victory. The United States was ill-remembered because of Washington's support for Islamabad, despite American popular rally toward the cause of Bangladesh.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine had only emphasised the desperate. Putin and Lavrov have been running on time trying to persuade India to support Russian terrorism and massacre of Ukrainian civilians. Meanwhile, India has tried to ask its QUAD allies (United States, Japan and Australia) to allow her time to reconsider ties with Russia, which ultimately ended with India going to a currency swap instead of completely cut off tie with Russia.

Many Indians, as seen in various internet platforms, are divided, though by far the pro-Russian sentiment has prevailed more than the anti-Russian one, by a minimum margin. This sentiment is not hard to see: the deep hatred toward Britain (which is part of coalition against Russia) - the former colonial master of India that caused the painful 1947 partitions, as well as what Indians perceived about the United States as a hypocrite. Many Indians frequently stressed about Russia never interfering in the other countries' affairs (which is ill-judged considering how Russia installed dictators by its will in various European and Asian nations) as the mean for them to keep backing Moscow.

Yet, we have to quote this: Indians hate Western lecture, but Indians still prefer Asian lecture. This leaves us to the possibility of Japan and South Korea. Again, these two nations come to headline. As I have mentioned, this is the highest possibility due to historical and brotherly ties between India and these states. Like India, Japan and South Korea are both Asian nations. Historically, Indian Buddhism was exported to these nations via China, and an Indian Queen came to rule the Koreans since antiquity. Ancient ties between India and these East Asian countries are deep and strong. Today, Japan and South Korea are India's major Asian trade partners. In 2020, India exported over $4.36 billion to Japan and $4.63 billion to South Korea, a stark contrast to India's modest export worth to Russia of just $2.87 billion.

The importance of India's trades with South Korea and Japan are even more impressive basically because of politics. Japan and South Korea are seen as not going to lecture India about democracy and foreign relations like the West, therefore New Delhi is happy to bolster such relations. Moreover, compared to a declining power like Russia, Japan and South Korea have excelled in technology and science, which is also a major aim of Modi's Make In India project. The Indians welcomed just that.

Seoul and Tokyo's good ties with New Delhi can be considered a major factor. When Russia invaded Ukraine illegally since February 2022, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida boarded flight to New Delhi and met Indian PM Modi in mid-March, with the aim to dissuade Russia from using India, and even promised more investment to the country.

Yet as Japan and South Korea imposed further economic sanctions on Russia, so is the difference to emerge. When South Korea's major daily Chosun Ilbo ran an article questioning India's stance toward Russian invasion, several Koreans had expressed displeasure toward Delhi and some stated this a "major mistake" for the democratic world to lend support for such a despicable India. In Yahoo, which is very popular in Japan, after Yahoo ran an article posted by the Wedge about India's decision to buy Russian oil, the Japanese showed to be more reasonable than Koreans, even digging the past of India's distrust toward the West, but some Japanese were also unhappy with India's position.

Such reactions are not hard to realise. Unlike India, Japan and South Korea have historical traumas with Russia. Japan lost the World War II and had to see its Northern Territories seized by the Russians, which Moscow referred to as South Kurils. South Korea is even more hostile to Russia due to Moscow's previous involvement in the Korean War. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin directly installed the Kim Il-sung regime and encouraged its Communist Chinese ally to invade the peninsula, dividing Korea to two and caused a tragedy that has not been solved today. Since India has no border with Russia, it does not have the experience to understand Russian occupation and terror inflicted on the natives like Korea and Japan had, hence Indians, unlike Japanese and Koreans, easily get misled by Russian disinformation.

These attitude really complicates New Delhi's ties with Tokyo and Seoul, despite these nations are not critical of India like Britain or the U.S. Delhi continues to weigh the belief that Russia will help India's solve relations with China, already a close ally of Moscow as well; while Tokyo and Seoul long share a deep distrust of Russia and viewing Russia as similar as China.

This time, though, because of India's inability to condemn Russia and Indian sympathetic opinions toward Russia, the Indians are increasingly estranged from its Asian friends, not just Koreans and Japanese. Burmese protesters that are fighting against Moscow-backed military junta have already shown great sympathy to Ukrainian struggle while have already criticised India for trying to engage with the junta amidst bloodshed on innocent people of Myanmar, a country that shares a deep bond with India since antiquity. Thai activists protesting against the same (though more peaceful) junta regime in Thailand have already signed up with hope to take down Putin's aggression on Ukraine. Authoritarian communist Vietnam, which has a great relationship with India because of past similarities in ties with Moscow, has also witnessed a growing public discontent toward Russian invasion and media largely deviated from the initial pro-Russian narrative, many Vietnamese have now openly voiced their opposition toward Putin's war. Malaysian internet is greatly divided between pro- and anti-Putin, and a significant portions of Malaysians are sympathetic of Ukraine due to Russian shelling of Ukrainian mosques. Many young Hongkongers, both in Hong Kong and the world, are looking at Ukrainians with respect and admiration for their resistance against Russia. The Philippines' official condemnation of Russian invasion on 28 February was met with public enthusiasm, over 65% expressed happiness toward the condemnation. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, three Central Asian nations that share bilateral ties with India, have witnessed public protests in support for Ukraine against Russia, the middle later passed a law banning all gatherings near Russian embassy. Neighbouring Nepal also supported international condemnation of Russian invasion and urged Russia to stop the war, though public reactions are also divided. Far away to West Asia, protests against Russia broke out in Iran, Turkey and Israel, the former is an ally of Russia and has banned all gatherings near the Russian embassy as well. Crisis-hit Lebanon also witnessed mass public uprising against Russia, echoing Ukrainian narratives of resistance. Not just that, many Syrians that are anti-Assad also joined the anti-Putin protests. The strongest reactions, however, are from Singapore and Taiwan, which have imposed economic sanctions against Russia.

Of course, across Asia, only Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have put other step forward, imposing complete sanctions on Russia - and this is what Indians really care the most. What Indians have failed, is due to its sympathy toward Russian aggression and somewhat diluted view about Russian lies, Indians have made lesser friends and more troubles. Sympathising with an aggressor has led Indians to have only the Sub-Saharan Africans and, ironically, the Indonesians, Pakistanis and Chinese, to share the same voice. Latin Americans are overwhelmingly against Russia even when their governments not say so. North Africans saw Russian invasion equalled to previous Western invasions of their countries, despite not naming out. In much of Asia, where majority are run by autocrats, public dissent grew with sympathy toward Ukraine have beleaguered Russian soft power and disinformation campaign there. Note that many of these nations also experienced Western colonialism, not just India, in some degrees even more violent and tragic than that of India.

Indians will be likely to question themselves: "why do other Asians look at India with resentment and suspicion?" Well, you know, Indians hate Western lecture, but prefer Asian lecture. Governments can hardly represent the voice of the people, which is something Indians appear to be lacking that sense. Unfortunately, Indians' love for Russia have blinded the Indians from understanding the reality - Russia, as much as Indians love to, is not a reliable partner for Indians. Indians are right that they must not forget British colonialism and Western hypocrisies as they experienced these problems first hand, but by abusing the democratic nature India has to support authoritarian, repressive Russia's war and misinformation, Indians have made themselves associated with a terrible legacy - Indians are hypocrites just like the West. Asians are seeing how Indians showing support to Russia first hand, be it YouTube or Twitter, and they are unlikely to forgive Indians for this. Indians need to understand: its closest friends and enemies lie near her, not those Europeans or Americans.