India bolsters naval fleet with new Russia-built warship

MOSCOW — 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.

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.

Putin praised what he called Russia and India's "privileged strategic partnership", and vowed to build ties further.

Modi visited Kyiv in August and Moscow in July in an effort to encourage talks, as India cast itself as a potential mediator in the conflict.