Ratification is considered crucial, as both Indonesia and Russia have vast territories that could serve as safe havens for criminals, and both are committed to fighting transnational crime. But how urgent is ratification, and what caveats should be noted?

In the absence of a bilateral extradition agreement, Russia has submitted four extradition requests to Indonesia. Extradition has been regulated in Indonesia since Law No. 1/1979, which outlines eight principles and 32 crimes as the basis for approving extradition requests. To date, Indonesia has only 14 extradition agreements, mostly with ASEAN and East Asian countries.

The Russian Federation has far greater reach, with extradition agreements with about 65 countries, mostly in Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The agreement is relevant as the interests of both countries are converging despite differences in political systems, geography and geopolitics. Indonesia is a rising middle-power democracy with twice Russia’s population and GDP growth 3.2 times that of Russia. Russia is also a middle power according to the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index, with GDP nearly 1.5 times larger than Indonesia’s.

Bilateral ties are growing in trade and education. Russia is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in Eastern Europe and has invested in more than 3,900 projects worth US$114 million. A long-delayed joint venture between state-owned Pertamina and Rosneft has an estimated value of $23 billion. In education, there are 174 agreements between 69 Russian institutions and 73 Indonesian universities.

Migration patterns shape the urgency of ratification. As of July 2025, only 1,412 Indonesians were living in Russia, mostly students (531) and service sector workers (553).