India’s defence minister watched the commissioning of his country’s latest naval vessel at a Russian shipyard on Monday, hailing it as a “significant milestone” in ties with a longstanding defence ally.Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took part in the commissioning ceremony of the country’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate, INS Tushil, in the Baltic port of Kaliningrad.“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 and carries “an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting edge technologies”, the defence ministry in New Delhi said last week.It also said the ship would reach India in a “near-combat ready condition” since all Russian equipment on board had been already tested successfully.New Delhi has walked a diplomatic tightrope since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Russia’s offensive.
