Desk:Nearly three years have passed since the war between Russia and Ukraine began, and the conflict shows no signs of ending. In a surprising revelation, a report claims that artillery shells manufactured by Indian arms producers have reached Ukraine through Europe. Despite Russia’s protests, India has not intervened to stop this trade. According to various Indian and European officials, as well as customs data, this export of ammunition, which is being used in Ukraine’s attacks against Russia, has been going on for over a year.
The report also highlights Ukraine’s severe shortage of ammunition, as it struggles to fend off Russian advances in areas like Pokrovsk. Notably, under Indian export regulations, weapons can only be used by the purchasing country. Indian officials confirmed that Russia has raised the issue on at least two occasions. The matter was also brought up during a meeting in July between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Indian counterpart. This report by Reuters marks the first detailed account of the ammunition trade involving India.
European countries like Italy and the Czech Republic, which are leading the initiative to supply Ukraine with weapons, are reportedly involved in sending Indian ammunition to Ukraine. Both Russia and India’s foreign and defense ministries have declined to comment on the matter.
Earlier, in January, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had stated during a press conference that India had neither sent nor sold weapons to Ukraine. Sources suggest that Ukraine has used only a small quantity of Indian-made ammunition. One official estimated that the amount used by Ukraine since the start of the war is less than 1% of the total arms imported by the country. It remains unclear whether the ammunition was resold or donated by European customers to Ukraine.
India maintains strong relations with Russia, a long-time supplier of weapons to the country, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia. India has long been one of the world’s largest arms importers and views the ongoing conflict in Europe as an opportunity to strengthen its arms export sector. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India exported approximately $3 billion worth of weapons between 2018 and 2023.