Defence minister Rajnath Singh headed to Russia to boost defence ties
Defence minister Rajnath Singh will commission the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate Tushil at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will on Monday kick off his three-day official visit to Russia during which he will attend the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), and commission the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate Tushil, putting the spotlight on the bilateral military ties between the two countries, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.
Singh is expected to reach Moscow late Sunday night.
On Monday, he will commission the warship at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad. Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is already in Russia for the commissioning ceremony.
Tushil is an upgraded Krivak III class frigate of the Project 1135.6, and six such vessels are already in service – three Talwar class ships, built at Baltic shipyard in St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at the Yantar shipyard.
Tushil is part of an over $2.5-billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy, two of which are being constructed at the Yantar shipyard and the remaining two will be built at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with technology transfer from Russia. The second Russia-made frigate. Tamal, is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in mid-2025.
On December 10, Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov will co-chair the 21st meeting of IRIGC-M&MTC in Moscow.
Multi-faceted relations
“The two leaders will review the entire range of multi-faceted relations between the two countries in the field of defence, including military-to-military and industrial cooperation. They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the defence ministry said in a statement earlier.
To be sure, the sanctions slapped on Russia by the United States and its allies on the back of the Ukraine war delayed some projects and raised questions about the procurement of spares for existing Russian-origin weapons, as well as maintenance and servicing of legacy equipment.
Singh will also pay tribute at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War. Interaction with the members of the Indian community is on his itinerary too.