Rajnath Singh lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid a wreath at the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Singh stated, “Laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.”

Earlier in the day, Rajnath singh interacted with the members of Indian community and highlighted growth trajectory of India. He lauded the contribution of Indian diaspora in Russia.

Taking to X, Indian Embassy in Moscow stated, “Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh interacted with the members of Indian community in Moscow. In his interaction, RM appreciated the contributions of Indian diaspora and highlighted India’s growth trajectory.”

During the event, students of the Embassy of India School (Kendriya Vidyalaya), Moscow and Russian artistes presented colourful cultural performances, the Indian Embassy in Russia said.

During his visit to Moscow, Union minister will hold discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC M&MTC) alongside Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, according to Indian Embassy in Russia statement.

The Indian Embassy in Russia stated, “This visit aims to further deepen India- Russia defence cooperation in line with the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.”

Earlier on Monday, Rajnath Singh attended the Commissioning Ceremony of INS Tushil at Russia’s Kaliningrad on Monday. He called the ship a “proud testament” to India’s growing maritime strength and a significant milestone in India-Russia ties.

Sharing a post on X, Singh stated, “Delighted to attend the Commissioning Ceremony of #INSTushil, the latest multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate, at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad (Russia). The ship is a proud testament to India’s growing maritime strength and a significant milestone in long-standing bilateral relations with Russia.”

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 Baltisky shipyard, St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad, according to Ministry of Defence’s earlier press release.

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 Government of India, as per the release. The ships construction was closely monitored by an Indian team of specialists from the Warship Overseeing Team stationed at Kaliningrad, under the aegis of the Indian Embassy in Moscow.

Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow on Sunday night. He received a warm welcome on late Sunday night by Indian Ambassador to Russia, Venkatesh Kumar, and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, Alexander Fomin.