Russia’s Rosatom delivered the first nuclear fuel consignment on December 4, 2025, for initial loading of Kudankulam’s 1,000 MW Unit 3 reactor in Tamil Nadu, coinciding with President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to New Delhi for talks with PM Narendra Modi. This shipment from Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, via Rosatom’s TVEL division, kicks off seven flights under a 2024 contract ensuring lifetime fuel for Units 3 and 4, advancing the 6,000 MW six-unit complex—India’s largest. Russian-Indian engineers have boosted Units 1-2 efficiency with TVS-2M fuel, extending cycles to 18 months since 2022. From India’s strategic lens, this fortifies energy security amid global supply volatility, deepens Moscow ties against Western sanctions, and counters China-Pakistan nuclear pacts, positioning Indo-Russian collaboration as a bulwark for self-reliant clean power by 2026-27 commissioning.