Tharoor Meets Lavrov in Russia Amid Congress Row, Promotes Colonialism Documentary.
Amid an ongoing internal rift within the Congress party, senior leader and MP Shashi Tharoor is on a private visit to Russia, where he met with top Russian officials including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The trip, focused on promoting a documentary series based on Tharoor’s book Inglorious Empire, has coincided with growing tensions in his party following recent remarks perceived as praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tharoor arrived in Russia on June 21 at the invitation of state-owned broadcaster RT, which has produced a 10-part series inspired by his 2017 book — itself derived from his viral Oxford Union speech questioning whether Britain owes reparations to its former colonies. The series is scheduled to air later this year.
During his visit, Tharoor attended the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and later travelled to Moscow, where he met Russian Duma foreign affairs committee chairman Leonid Slutsky on June 23. He also addressed members of the Indian diaspora at the Indian embassy that day.
On June 24, Tharoor met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Primakov Readings — a major foreign policy forum. The following day, he held discussions with Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the upper house’s foreign affairs committee, and met members of the Malayalee diaspora.
While the visit centres on cultural diplomacy, sources familiar with the meetings said Tharoor briefed Russian officials on India’s counterterrorism strategy in the wake of Operation Sindoor, and exchanged views on the Israel-Iran conflict, the Gaza situation, and evolving India-Russia ties.
RT confirmed that in his meeting with Slutsky, Tharoor also discussed the Ukraine conflict and tensions in South Asia. Slutsky described India as a key BRICS member and proposed initiating a parliamentary dialogue platform within the bloc.
“Good to renew my acquaintance with Mr. Slutsky,” Tharoor posted on social media. “We exchanged views on regional peace, #OperationSindoor and possible avenues of future parliamentary cooperation.”
Tharoor had earlier led one of seven all-party delegations sent by the Indian government to 33 countries to explain India’s approach to terrorism following the Pahalgam attack and the launch of Operation Sindoor.
Back home, Tharoor’s comments in a recent article on Modi’s global outreach — reposted by the official Prime Minister’s Office account — have drawn sharp criticism from Congress circles. Without naming him, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared to take a swipe, saying, “For us, it’s country first; for some, it’s Modi first.”
In what seemed like a response, Tharoor shared a cryptic post on social media:
“Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one…”
As his Russia trip continues to make headlines, Tharoor finds himself once again balancing diplomacy abroad with political turbulence at home.
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