Institutional balancing as India's tool for ensuring comprehensive security

The article is devoted to the role of institutional balancing as a key instrument of India's foreign policy to ensure comprehensive security. The relevance of the study lies in India's growing influence in the context of geopolitical instability, its strategic importance for the balance of power in Eurasia and its importance for Russia as a strategic partner in the Global South and Eurasian initiatives, as well as the possibility of reducing the risks of escalation through institutional balancing. Through qualitative content analysis of official documents and expert reports, the author systematizes and updates the information on challenges faced by India at the intra-state, regional, inter-regional and global levels, including separatism, China-Pakistan alliance, environmental threats and destabilization of the international order.The main focus is on India's doctrinal and institutional responses to existential threats through participation in multilateral formats (BRICS+, QUAD, SCO, etc.). Using B. Buzan and O. Weaver's theory of regional security complexes and the concept of institutional balancing, the author demonstrates how India combines soft balancing with pragmatic participation in international alliances to counter threats and strengthen strategic autonomy. Particular attention is given to India's role in the Indo-Pacific region and its initiatives to promote stability and cooperation. The article presents the main contemporary institutional instruments in India's multilateral security policy with their functional content. The author concludes that institutional balancing allows India to respond effectively to complex challenges. This makes it possible to explain the multi-vector and pragmatic nature of Indian foreign policy approaches, which confirms the author’s hypothesis.