New Delhi:

India-Russia friendship is “higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest ocean”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.

Both leaders expressed that the partnership between the countries holds immense potential and combined efforts will pave the way for remarkable outcomes, an Indian readout of the meeting said.

Mr Singh called on Putin after co-chairing the 21st session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Cooperation along with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov.

“During the meeting, Rajnath Singh said ‘friendship between our countries is higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest ocean’,” the readout by the defence ministry said.

Mr Singh conveyed to Putin that India has always stood by its Russian friends and will continue to do so in future, it said.

The defence minister also conveyed warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Putin.

Glad to call on the Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, the defence minister said on ‘X’.

Mr Singh embarked on the three-day trip to Russia on Sunday.

The defence minister’s visit to Russia came five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Moscow and held summit talks with Putin.

During the summit, both sides had vowed to further expand India-Russia defence and military ties.

PM Modi travelled to Russia in October as well to attend the annual BRICS summit.

President Putin is set to visit India next year to hold the annual summit talks with PM Modi.

In his talks with Belousov, Singh pressed for expediting the supply of the two remaining units of S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems to India.

Singh showcased new opportunities in India for Russian defence industries in joint production of various military hardware, noting that India-Russia engagement is very strong and has lived up to the “responsibilities” of a special and privileged strategic partnership.

He voiced India’s determination to extend the capabilities of its domestic defence industry across domains and industrial collaboration, the defence ministry said.

Official sources said Singh strongly pitched for expediting the delivery of the two S-400 missile systems.

Mr Singh reiterated India’s commitment towards the special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia, the ministry said.

On Monday, Singh witnessed the commissioning of a Russian-manufactured guided missile frigate into the Indian navy at Russia’s coastal city of Kaliningrad.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Despite the years-long war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow and Kiev worked separately for a common cause – to manufacture an Indian Navy warship, which was handed over to New Delhi on Monday when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow for a top-level visit.

The frigate – INS Tushil – is one of two naval ships for which India placed an order with Russia in 2016. It is a Krivak III-class warship, which is an advanced stealth missile frigate. India currently operates six such warships – all manufactured in Russia.

Besides the two that is being made in Russia, two more similar ships have been ordered to be manufactured in India and will likely be manufactured at the Goa Shipyard.

What is interesting is that the primary engines – the gas turbines of these frigates – is manufactured in Ukraine. A Russian warship with a Ukrainian engine, made for India – which shares close ties with both countries.

A majority of the ships in the Indian navy fleet use gas turbines made by the Ukrainian company Zorya-Mashproekt – which is a recognised globally as a leader in marine gas turbine production.

What is unique however, is that this order has been delivered while the war is on between Russia and Ukraine, and it is significant to note that both countries have delivered the order in spite of the conflict. However, there was a bit of a challenge involved – India had to physically procure these engines from Ukraine and have them delivered to Russia before they could be installed on this warship, so it has been somewhat delayed.

ALL ABOUT THE INS TUSHIL

INS Tushil is the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role, stealth-guided missile frigate. The name ‘Tushil’ means a ‘protector shield’ and its crest represents the ‘Abhedya Kavacham’ (Impenetrable Shield). It has a motto – ‘Nirbhay, Abhedya aur Balsheel’ (Fearless, Indomitable, and Resolute). The ship stands as a symbol of the Indian Navy’s undying commitment to safeguarding the nation’s maritime frontiers.

The INS Tushil is an advanced Russian Krivak III-class warship under ‘Project 11356’.

Project 11356 is the code name for the Talwar-class frigates, which are a class of stealth, guided-missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. The design for the Talwar Class frigates have been developed as an advanced version of the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates that Russia uses. So far, six such ships have been built and delivered by Russia to India between 1999 and 2013.

The six Krivak class warships that are already in service are 3 Talwar Class ships built at Baltiysky shipyard in St. Petersburg, and three Teg Class ships constructed at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad.

‘INS Tushil’ will be the seventh in the series, and the first of the two upgraded, advanced warships for which the Indian government and the Indian Navy had signed a contract with Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport, in October 2016.

The construction of the 125-metre-long warship, weighing 3,900 tonnes, was under constant monitoring by experts of India’s Warship Overseeing Team stationed permanently in Russia’s Kaliningrad throughout its construction. The warship is fitted with advanced Indian missiles, details of which are not revealed by the Indian Navy.

The warship has undergone a series of sea trials, factory sea trials, and state committee trials starting January 2024, during which it clocked an impressive speed of more than 30 knots (55 kmph). It is now being delivered to India in a combat-ready condition.

Russia is delivering the warship to India at Kaliningrad on Monday, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi will be commissioning it.

Upon commissioning, INS Tushil will join the ‘Sword Arm’ of the Indian Navy, the Western Fleet, under the Western Naval Command.

THE CHINA CHALLENGE

While the first of the two warships have been delivered on Monday, the delivery date for the second ship might take a while. The warship is an important addition to the Indian Navy which is faced with the challenge of the fast-growing Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean.

The Chinese Navy is the fastest-growing navy in the world, and according to some reports the Chinese Navy might have already outnumbered the US Navy to become the largest naval fleet globally. Nowhere is this felt more significantly that the Indian Ocean.

While India has the geographical advantage over China in the Indian Ocean and its strategic location close to key choke points leading to it, China has the advantage in terms of number of vessels in the naval fleet.
 

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on a three-day trip to Russia on Sunday (December 8, 2024) to witness the commissioning of a stealth warship into the Indian Navy and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the expansion of bilateral cooperation in co-production of Military hardware.

The Russian-manufactured multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tushil will be commissioned on Monday (December 9, 2024) in the coastal city of Kaliningrad.

The warship, billed as one of the most technologically advanced frigates globally, is expected to significantly bolster the Indian Navy’s operational capability in the Indian Ocean, a region that has witnessed increasing Chinese forays.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi will accompany Mr. Singh to the commissioning ceremony.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation from December 8 to 10, an official readout said on Saturday (Dec. 7).

It said that Defence Minister Singh and Mr. Belousov will co-chair the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) in Moscow on December 10 (2024).

The Defence Minister’s visit to Russia comes five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Moscow and held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the talks, both sides decided to further bolster two-way Defence ties.

Defence Minister Singh and Mr. Belousov 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, the Defence Ministry said in the readout.

“They will also exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest,” it said.

People familiar with Mr. Singh’s visit said India-Russia cooperation in the co-production of Military hardware will figure prominently in the talks between the two Defence Ministers.

“As part of the visit, the Defence Minister will also commission the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate ‘INS Tushil’ at Yantra Shipyard, Kaliningrad on December 9 (2024),” the Ministry said.

It said Defence Minister Singh will also pay tributes at “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War.

He is also scheduled to interact with the members of the Indian community in Moscow.