<p>Internationalisation of Higher Education is a core part of global governance, knowledge diplomacy and sustainable development of the twenty-first century. Countries are looking for diversified academic cooperation beyond the traditional North-South cooperation as higher education is increasingly becoming a tool of soft power, innovation and international cooperation. In India, the vision of becoming a knowledge hub in the world has been laid out in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for enhancing international cooperation, research excellence, student mobility, and institutional partnerships. In this changing paradigm, India&ndash;Russia academic partnership is unique with its historical trust, scientific cooperation and mutual values of multipolarity and South&ndash;South cooperation. This paper explores how Indian&ndash;Russian higher education cooperation can contribute to sustainability and to the trending South&ndash;South cooperation. It suggests that although educational cooperation between the two countries has historically been based on technical education, medical studies, defence research, and scientific exchange, a more comprehensive and institutionalised cooperation framework should be developed to address the current geopolitical and technological landscape, which requires cooperation in the field of sustainability research, digital education, artificial intelligence, clean energy, public health, and innovation ecosystems. The paper examines the vision of internationalisation of higher education in India as outlined in NEP 2020, the past trajectory and current status of academic cooperation between India and Russia and the possibility of its contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the field of quality education (SDG 4) and international partnerships (SDG 17). The paper employs qualitative analysis using policy documents, governmental reports, scholarly literature and institutional initiatives to show how India&ndash;Russia educational cooperation can be a useful platform for pushing forward innovation in research, transfer of knowledge, faculty mobility and capacity development among emerging economies. It argues that enhancing bilateral and multilateral academic networks, such as those of the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and other Global South-oriented institutions, may assist in the creation of a more inclusive, sustainable and fairer international higher education system. This cooperation can transform the concept of educational diplomacy, and strengthen both nations&#39; visions of strategic autonomy and multipolar world order.</p>