Much the West's chagrin, Pakistan's decision to release a captured Indian fighter pilot did surprisingly little to de-escalate tensions with India. And as deadly shelling along the heavily militarized "line of control" continues, it's becoming apparent that the most anxiety-provoking outbreak of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors isn't just going to resolve itself.

And as world powers jockey to mediate the conflict, the opening of a factory in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where hundreds of thousands of AK-203s will be produced might portend an important development in the conflict: As Washington urges New Delhi to embrace a more peaceful tact, and other Western powers (like the UK) have tried to pressure Pakistan, Moscow is aligning itself closer to India.

Here's more from RT:

India’s PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated a Kalashnikov plant which is set to produce hundreds of thousands of AK-203s for the army locally, as the Indian forces are steadily phasing out their aging assault rifles. Located in the northeastern state of Uttar Pradesh, the plant was on Sunday launched by Prime Minister Modi and top military brass in the town of Amethi. The newest Kalashnikov firearm will help Indian forces fight terrorist and separatist groups, the Indian premier said. Modi also extended his praise “to my friend President Vladimir Putin," adding, "this venture was made possible in such a short time by his support." The Russian leader, in turn, said in a statement that producing the rifles on Indian soil will give a boost to the local defense industry, develop know-how and create new jobs.

Photos from the ceremony circulated in the Indian press:

Today in Amethi, Hon'ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi dedicates Indo-Russian Rifles Pvt Ltd to the nation. Smt @nsitharaman addresses the gathering and reads out the message by Hon'ble President of Russia @KremlinRussia_E Vladmir Putin at the event. pic.twitter.com/mVpz0oHdrD — Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) March 3, 2019

The project is just the latest example of the burgeoning military-industrial relationship between New Delhi and Moscow. The factory will produce some 750,000 rifles for the Indian military, helping the Indian military brass to fulfill a long time goal: Replacing its standard-issue firearm, the 5.56mm INSAS rifle.

The compound, jointly run by India’s Ordnance Factory Board (OAB) and Russia’s Kalashnikov Concern, is licensed to produce a whopping 750,000 of AK-203s – the latest upgrade of the time-proven 7.62mm assault rifle. Russian defense industry officials say the ambitious project aims high and plans to make even more AKs, including their future derivatives. The 203 model is based upon AK-100 series assault rifles which, in turn, inherited many properties of the older AK-74 version. While muzzle velocity and reliability largely remained the same, its accuracy and ergonomics improved dramatically.

With just weeks left until a crucial national election, Modi's government has been accused of trying to bolster its popularity by taking a hard line in the conflict. It now appears, despite its offer to mediate, that Moscow may be more than willing to help.