India's defense minister was present for the commissioning ceremony of his country's latest naval vessel at a Russian shipyard Monday, hailing it as a “significant milestone” in ties with a longstanding defense ally.
Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh was in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad for the commissioning ceremony of his country’s latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate, INS Tushil.
“The ship is a proud testament to India's growing maritime strength and a significant milestone in long-standing bilateral relations with Russia,” Singh posted on X.
Tushil, or "Shield" in English, weighs 3,900 tonnes (approximately 4,300 tons) and carries “an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies,” the defense ministry in New Delhi said last week.
It also said the ship would reach India in “near-combat ready condition,” since all the Russian equipment on board had already been tested successfully.
New Delhi has been walking a diplomatic tightrope since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, pledging humanitarian support to Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Russia’s invasion.
In October at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his calls for a quick end to the fighting in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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