Rajnath Singh Arrives in Moscow for Key Talks with Putin
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived in Moscow for an official visit. During his trip, he will witness the induction of a stealth warship into the Indian Navy and take part in the 21st session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation.
Late Sunday night, Singh was warmly welcomed by Venkatesh Kumar, the Indian Ambassador to Russia, and Alexander Fomin, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defence.
During his visit to Moscow, Singh will pay tribute to Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War by visiting 'The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.' He will also engage with members of the Indian community, according to a press release.
During his visit, Singh will engage in key discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC M&MTC) with Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov.
Sharing a post on X, the Embassy of India in Russia wrote, "Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh was received by Ambassador @vkumar1969 and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Alexander Fomin in Moscow."
Singh will also connect with the Indian community in Russia.
"During the visit, the Hon'ble Raksha Mantri will meet with President Putin and co-chair the IRIGC M&MTC meeting alongside his Russian counterpart, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov. Additionally, he will participate in the commissioning ceremony of INS Tushil and engage with the Indian community," the statement noted.
The Embassy of India in Russia posted on X, highlighting that this visit seeks to strengthen India-Russia defense cooperation under the framework of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
Earlier on Saturday, Singh shared a post on X regarding his upcoming visit to Russia. He mentioned, "On December 8th, I will be arriving in Moscow to participate in the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation."
"During my visit, I will also attend the commissioning ceremony of the Indian Navy's latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate, 'INS Tushil.' I am eagerly looking forward to the occasion," the post stated.
What is INS Tushil?
INS Tushil is an upgraded Krivak III class frigates of the Project 1135.6 of which, six are already in service – three Talwar class ships, built at Baltiysky shipyard, St. Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad.
INS Tushil, the seventh in the series, is the first of the two upgraded additional follow-on ships the contract for which was signed in Oct 2016 between JSC Rosoboronexport, Indian Navy, and the Govt. of India. The ship’s construction was closely monitored by an Indian team of specialists from the Warship Overseeing Team stationed at Kaliningrad, under the aegis of the Embassy of India, Moscow.
The warship is the result of the continuous toil of hundreds of shipyard workers along with multiple Russian and Indian OEMs.
This 125 metre, 3900 ton ship, packs a lethal punch and is an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting edge technologies and best practices in warship construction. The ship’s new design provides it with enhanced stealth features and better stability characteristics. With the collaboration of Indian naval specialists and Severnoye Design Bureau, the indigenous content of the ship has been enhanced to an impressive 26% and the number of made-in-India systems have more than doubled to 33.