Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his joint appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver one of his strongest recent messages on terrorism, drawing a direct link between the 2025 Pahalgam massacre in Kashmir and the March 2024 terror attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow. Standing alongside Putin during the media briefing, PM Modi said that India and Russia have fought terrorism “shoulder-to-shoulder” for decades and must continue working together against networks that threaten global security.
Modi stressed that both tragedies — the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam and the assault on Moscow’s concert hall that left nearly 150 dead — stem from the same ideological and organisational roots. By equating the two attacks, the Prime Minister underscored New Delhi’s long-held view that terrorism must be confronted without political hesitation or selective definitions. He stated that India believes terrorism is a direct attack on humanity and that the international community’s “greatest strength” lies in unity against it.
The timing of Modi’s remarks was significant. His statements came on the same day Pakistan appointed Field Marshal Asim Munir — known for his hardline stance toward India — as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces. Against this backdrop, the message delivered from New Delhi in the presence of Putin was widely interpreted as a pointed reminder that India will not allow external threats or proxy attacks to go unanswered.
The April Pahalgam massacre marked one of the worst terror incidents in Kashmir in recent years, when tourists were shot at close range by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants. India responded on May 7 with Operation Sindoor, a large-scale cross-border strike that targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan. During the three-day offensive, the Russian-designed S-400 air defence system played a decisive role, intercepting enemy jets and drones up to 400 kilometres away. India also deployed BrahMos cruise missiles — jointly developed by New Delhi and Moscow — to destroy military and radar installations across the border.
Similarly, Russia suffered devastating violence in March 2024 when gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall concert venue near the Kremlin, killing close to 150 people and injuring more than 500 others. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying four of its members had carried out the massacre.
By framing both attacks as part of a single continuum of global terrorism, Modi reinforced India’s insistence that no country should tolerate, shield or justify extremist networks. The shared stage with Putin — and the strategic cooperation between the two countries in anti-terror operations — added further weight to the message that India expects international partners to maintain collective pressure on those who enable acts of terror across borders.
