Artillery shells offered by Indian arms makers have been diverted by European prospects to Ukraine and New Delhi has not intervened to cease the commerce regardless of protests from Moscow, in accordance with eleven Indian and European authorities and defence business officers, in addition to a Reuters evaluation of commercially obtainable customs knowledge.
The switch of munitions to help Ukraine’s defence in opposition to Russia has occurred for greater than a yr, in accordance with the sources and the customs knowledge.Indian arms export rules restrict the usage of weaponry to the declared purchaser, who dangers future gross sales being terminated if unauthorised transfers happen.
The Kremlin has raised the difficulty on at the least two events, together with throughout a July assembly between Russian international minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, three officers mentioned.
Particulars of the ammunition transfers are reported by Reuters for the primary time.
The international and defence ministries of Russia and India didn’t reply to questions. In January, international ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal instructed a information convention that India had not despatched or offered artillery shells to Ukraine.
Two authorities and two defence business sources instructed Reuters that Delhi produced solely a really small quantity of the ammunition being utilized by Ukraine, with one official estimating that it was underneath 1% of the overall arms imported by Kyiv because the struggle. The information company could not decide if the munitions have been resold or donated to Kyiv by the European prospects.
Among the many European international locations sending Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is main an initiative to provide Kyiv with artillery shells from outdoors the European Union, in accordance with a Spanish and a senior Indian official, in addition to a former high govt at Yantra India, a state-owned firm whose munitions are being utilized by Ukraine.
The Indian official mentioned that Delhi was monitoring the state of affairs. However, together with a defence business govt with direct data of the transfers, he mentioned India had not taken any motion to throttle the availability to Europe. Like a lot of the 20 folks interviewed by Reuters, they spoke on situation of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish and Czech defence ministries didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Delhi and Washington, Ukraine’s important safety backer, have just lately strengthened defence and diplomatic cooperation in opposition to the backdrop of a rising China, which each regard as their important rival. India additionally has heat ties with Russia, its major arms provider for many years, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to hitch the Western-led sanctions regime in opposition to Moscow.
However Delhi, lengthy the world’s largest weapons importer, additionally sees the prolonged struggle in Europe as a possibility to develop its nascent arms export sector, in accordance with six Indian sources conversant in official considering. Ukraine, which is battling to include a Russian offensive towards the japanese logistics hub of Pokrovsk, has a dire scarcity of artillery ammunition.
The White Home declined to remark and the US state division referred questions on Delhi’s arms exports to the federal government.
India exported simply over $3 billion of arms between 2018 and 2023, in accordance with knowledge compiled by the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute think-tank.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh mentioned at an August 30 convention that defence exports surpassed $2.5 billion within the final fiscal yr and that Delhi needed to extend that to about $6 billion by 2029. Commercially obtainable customs data present that within the two years earlier than the February 2022 invasion, three main Indian ammunition makers – Yantra, Munitions India and Kalyani Strategic Methods – exported simply $2.8 million in munitions elements to Italy and the Czech Republic, in addition to Spain and Slovenia, the place defence contractors have invested closely in provide chains for Ukraine.
Between February 2022 and July 2024, the determine had elevated to $135.25 million, the information present, together with accomplished munitions, which India started exporting to the 4 nations.
Arzan Tarapore, a defence knowledgeable at Stanford College, mentioned that Delhi’s push to broaden its arms exports was a significant factor within the switch of its arms to Ukraine.
“Most likely within the sudden latest enlargement, some situations of end-user violations have occurred.”
Discreet deliveries
Unlisted Italian defence contractor Meccanica per l’Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES) was among the many firms sending Indian-made shells to Ukraine, mentioned the previous high Yantra official.
MES is Yantra’s largest international consumer. The chief mentioned the Rome-based firm buys empty shells from India and fills them with explosives.
A number of Western corporations had explosive filling capabilities however lack the manufacturing capability to mass produce artillery shells, the manager mentioned.
Yantra mentioned in its 2022-23 annual report that it had agreed a take care of an unnamed Italian consumer to arrange a producing line for L15A1 shells, which the previous Yantra govt recognized as MES.
MES and Yantra India didn’t reply to emails searching for remark.
Customs knowledge point out that Yantra shipped $35 million value of empty 155mm L15A1 shells to MES between February 2022 and July 2024.
Customs data additionally present that in February 2024, U.Ok.-based arms firm Dince Hill – whose board features a high MES govt – exported $6.7 million in ammunition from Italy to Ukraine.
Among the many exports have been 155mm L15A1 shells, which the customs declaration mentioned have been manufactured by MES for Ukraine’s Defence Ministry and provided for “selling the protection functionality and mobilization readiness of Ukraine.”
Dince Hill didn’t reply to an e-mail searching for remark. Its new proprietor, Rome-based Effequattro Consulting, couldn’t be reached. In one other occasion, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente shared on social media in Could an finish person settlement signed by a Czech defence official that authorised the switch of 120mm and 125mm ammunition shells from Munitions India to arms supplier Czech Defence Methods.
Professional-Palestinian activists had alleged that the Borkum, a vessel carrying Indian-made arms which had stopped in a Spanish port, was carrying the weapons to Israel.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported in Could the ultimate vacation spot was truly Ukraine. A Spanish official and one other supply conversant in the matter confirmed to Reuters that Kyiv was the top person. Munitions India and CDS didn’t reply to questions.
Customs data dated March 27 present Munitions India had shipped 10,000 rounds of 120mm and 125mm mortar shells, value greater than $9 million, from Chennai to CDS.
FRIENDLY FIRE Russia, which provides greater than 60% of Delhi’s arms imports, is a valued accomplice for India. In July, Modi selected Moscow for his first bilateral worldwide journey since being elected to a 3rd time period.
At one other assembly that month in Kazakhstan between exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar and Lavrov, the Russian minister pressed his counterpart about Indian munitions being utilized by Ukrainians and complained that some have been made by state-owned Indian firms, in accordance with an Indian official with direct data of the encounter.
The official didn’t share Jaishankar’s response.
Walter Ladwig, a South Asia safety knowledgeable at King’s School London, mentioned the diversion of a comparatively small quantity of ammunition was geopolitically helpful for Delhi. “It permits India to point out companions within the West that it isn’t ‘on Russia’s aspect’ within the Russia-Ukraine battle,” he mentioned, including that Moscow held little leverage over Delhi’s choices.
The switch of munitions to help Ukraine’s defence in opposition to Russia has occurred for greater than a yr, in accordance with the sources and the customs knowledge.Indian arms export rules restrict the usage of weaponry to the declared purchaser, who dangers future gross sales being terminated if unauthorised transfers happen.
The Kremlin has raised the difficulty on at the least two events, together with throughout a July assembly between Russian international minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, three officers mentioned.
Particulars of the ammunition transfers are reported by Reuters for the primary time.
The international and defence ministries of Russia and India didn’t reply to questions. In January, international ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal instructed a information convention that India had not despatched or offered artillery shells to Ukraine.
Two authorities and two defence business sources instructed Reuters that Delhi produced solely a really small quantity of the ammunition being utilized by Ukraine, with one official estimating that it was underneath 1% of the overall arms imported by Kyiv because the struggle. The information company could not decide if the munitions have been resold or donated to Kyiv by the European prospects.
Among the many European international locations sending Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is main an initiative to provide Kyiv with artillery shells from outdoors the European Union, in accordance with a Spanish and a senior Indian official, in addition to a former high govt at Yantra India, a state-owned firm whose munitions are being utilized by Ukraine.
The Indian official mentioned that Delhi was monitoring the state of affairs. However, together with a defence business govt with direct data of the transfers, he mentioned India had not taken any motion to throttle the availability to Europe. Like a lot of the 20 folks interviewed by Reuters, they spoke on situation of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish and Czech defence ministries didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Delhi and Washington, Ukraine’s important safety backer, have just lately strengthened defence and diplomatic cooperation in opposition to the backdrop of a rising China, which each regard as their important rival. India additionally has heat ties with Russia, its major arms provider for many years, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to hitch the Western-led sanctions regime in opposition to Moscow.
However Delhi, lengthy the world’s largest weapons importer, additionally sees the prolonged struggle in Europe as a possibility to develop its nascent arms export sector, in accordance with six Indian sources conversant in official considering. Ukraine, which is battling to include a Russian offensive towards the japanese logistics hub of Pokrovsk, has a dire scarcity of artillery ammunition.
The White Home declined to remark and the US state division referred questions on Delhi’s arms exports to the federal government.
India exported simply over $3 billion of arms between 2018 and 2023, in accordance with knowledge compiled by the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute think-tank.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh mentioned at an August 30 convention that defence exports surpassed $2.5 billion within the final fiscal yr and that Delhi needed to extend that to about $6 billion by 2029. Commercially obtainable customs data present that within the two years earlier than the February 2022 invasion, three main Indian ammunition makers – Yantra, Munitions India and Kalyani Strategic Methods – exported simply $2.8 million in munitions elements to Italy and the Czech Republic, in addition to Spain and Slovenia, the place defence contractors have invested closely in provide chains for Ukraine.
Between February 2022 and July 2024, the determine had elevated to $135.25 million, the information present, together with accomplished munitions, which India started exporting to the 4 nations.
Arzan Tarapore, a defence knowledgeable at Stanford College, mentioned that Delhi’s push to broaden its arms exports was a significant factor within the switch of its arms to Ukraine.
“Most likely within the sudden latest enlargement, some situations of end-user violations have occurred.”
Discreet deliveries
Unlisted Italian defence contractor Meccanica per l’Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES) was among the many firms sending Indian-made shells to Ukraine, mentioned the previous high Yantra official.
MES is Yantra’s largest international consumer. The chief mentioned the Rome-based firm buys empty shells from India and fills them with explosives.
A number of Western corporations had explosive filling capabilities however lack the manufacturing capability to mass produce artillery shells, the manager mentioned.
Yantra mentioned in its 2022-23 annual report that it had agreed a take care of an unnamed Italian consumer to arrange a producing line for L15A1 shells, which the previous Yantra govt recognized as MES.
MES and Yantra India didn’t reply to emails searching for remark.
Customs knowledge point out that Yantra shipped $35 million value of empty 155mm L15A1 shells to MES between February 2022 and July 2024.
Customs data additionally present that in February 2024, U.Ok.-based arms firm Dince Hill – whose board features a high MES govt – exported $6.7 million in ammunition from Italy to Ukraine.
Among the many exports have been 155mm L15A1 shells, which the customs declaration mentioned have been manufactured by MES for Ukraine’s Defence Ministry and provided for “selling the protection functionality and mobilization readiness of Ukraine.”
Dince Hill didn’t reply to an e-mail searching for remark. Its new proprietor, Rome-based Effequattro Consulting, couldn’t be reached. In one other occasion, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente shared on social media in Could an finish person settlement signed by a Czech defence official that authorised the switch of 120mm and 125mm ammunition shells from Munitions India to arms supplier Czech Defence Methods.
Professional-Palestinian activists had alleged that the Borkum, a vessel carrying Indian-made arms which had stopped in a Spanish port, was carrying the weapons to Israel.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported in Could the ultimate vacation spot was truly Ukraine. A Spanish official and one other supply conversant in the matter confirmed to Reuters that Kyiv was the top person. Munitions India and CDS didn’t reply to questions.
Customs data dated March 27 present Munitions India had shipped 10,000 rounds of 120mm and 125mm mortar shells, value greater than $9 million, from Chennai to CDS.
FRIENDLY FIRE Russia, which provides greater than 60% of Delhi’s arms imports, is a valued accomplice for India. In July, Modi selected Moscow for his first bilateral worldwide journey since being elected to a 3rd time period.
At one other assembly that month in Kazakhstan between exterior affairs minister S Jaishankar and Lavrov, the Russian minister pressed his counterpart about Indian munitions being utilized by Ukrainians and complained that some have been made by state-owned Indian firms, in accordance with an Indian official with direct data of the encounter.
The official didn’t share Jaishankar’s response.
Walter Ladwig, a South Asia safety knowledgeable at King’s School London, mentioned the diversion of a comparatively small quantity of ammunition was geopolitically helpful for Delhi. “It permits India to point out companions within the West that it isn’t ‘on Russia’s aspect’ within the Russia-Ukraine battle,” he mentioned, including that Moscow held little leverage over Delhi’s choices.
