Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha is currently in Moscow on an official visit that underscores Colombo’s continuing defence engagement with Russia at a time of shifting global alignments and tightening Western sanctions on Russian defence industries. He arrived in Moscow on 25 May and is scheduled to depart later today after holding discussions with senior Russian defence officials on strengthening bilateral military cooperation and exploring financial arrangements, including a possible line of credit to support the overhaul of ageing helicopter fleets and the procurement of essential defence equipment.
He is accompanied on the visit by his wife and a liaison officer from the Sri Lanka Navy. The discussions come at a time when Sri Lanka continues to maintain a long-standing defence relationship with Russia, historically built on the supply of military hardware, technical assistance, and training cooperation dating back to the Soviet era. In recent decades, Russian-origin platforms have remained central to Sri Lanka’s defence capabilities, particularly in aviation and maintenance support. However, Western sanctions imposed on Russia have increasingly affected global defence supply chains and financial transactions, adding new complexity to procurement and logistics processes for partner countries such as Sri Lanka.
The bilateral discussions in Moscow were also attended by officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia, including Ambassador Shobini Gunasekara, Counsellor Mihiravi Dissanayake, and Counsellor–Defence Air Commodore Dinesh Kasagala.
In parallel to the Moscow engagement, Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) conducted an extensive field visit to the Mannar District on 25 May to inspect lands utilized by the Sri Lanka Navy under the North Western and North Central Naval Commands. The visit included participation from senior political representatives, including the Chairman of the Mannar District Coordination Committee, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Development Upali Samarasinghe, and Parliamentarian Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran, alongside defence and civil officials.
During the Mannar visit, the Deputy Minister reviewed ongoing naval operations focused on maritime and coastal security, with particular emphasis on efforts to curb illegal activities and combat the drug menace affecting the region. He received detailed operational briefings from area commanders and commended the Navy’s performance while issuing directives aimed at strengthening operational effectiveness.
The delegation also inspected multiple Navy-held sites across Mullikulam, Silawaturai, Thalaimannar, Wankalapadu, and Pallimunai, while engaging with local communities to assess housing conditions, fisheries-related challenges, and broader welfare concerns. Officials noted that these engagements are intended to improve coordination between security forces and civil authorities, with the participation of senior defence officials, naval leadership, and representatives from the Survey and Forest Departments underscoring the integrated nature of the visit.
