Indian artillery shells are were diverted to Ukraine by European customers despite protests from Russia, Indian government and defense industry sources said, quoted by "Reuters".
The transfer took place without interference from India, despite regulations prohibiting arms transfers to third countries. The Kremlin has expressed displeasure with India at least twice, including during a meeting between foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in July.
According to customs and government sources, Indian ammunition has been diverted to Ukraine for more than a year, mostly through European customers such as Italy and the Czech Republic.
India, a major arms exporter, has taken no action to curb these shipments, even though they represent a small fraction of the weapons received from Ukraine. According to one of the sources, the supply of Indian ammunition is less than 1% of the total amount of weapons imported by Kiev since the start of the war.
Delhi is closely monitoring the situation, but according to defense industry sources, India has not taken action to stop these transfers to Europe. Despite Russia's displeasure, India sees the ongoing conflict in Europe as an opportunity to strengthen its role in the international arms market. The country exported more than $3 billion worth of arms between 2018 and 2023 and aims to double that volume by 2029.
Recent customs data shows that Indian companies such as Yantra India and Munitions India have been exporting significant quantities of ammunition to European countries, including the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain, who have subsequently resold them to Ukraine.
Despite its strong ties with Russia, India has not joined the sanctions against Moscow and continues to maintain a balanced position in the conflict.
Among the key players is the Italian company Meccanica per l'Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES), which buys empty projectiles from the Indian state company Yantra India and fills them with explosives. According to customs data, Yantra shipped 155mm L15A1 rounds worth $35 million to MES between February 2022 and July 2024.
These munitions were then delivered to Ukraine as part of efforts to strengthen the country's defense capabilities. UK-based arms company Dince Hill is also involved in the process, having exported $6.7 million worth of shells from Italy to Ukraine in February 2024.
Another example of Indian ammunition reaching Ukraine is a deal between India's Munitions India and the Czech Republic's Czech Defense Systems, which involves the transfer of 120mm and 125mm mortar rounds. These munitions were delivered in March 2024, and their value exceeds 9 million dollars.