According to information obtained by Reuters, Indian artillery shells that were supposed to be sent to other countries have been redirected to Ukraine by European buyers. This has been going on for more than a year, despite protests from Moscow. India has not interfered in this process, demonstrating its lack of direct control over the final destination of its weapons.
According to customs and Indian government sources, India's share of ammunition supplies to Ukraine is negligible - less than 1% of the total number of weapons imported by Kyiv. Despite close military ties between India and Russia, which has long been Delhi's main arms supplier, the Indian authorities allow European countries to use their products to support Ukraine's defense.
Among the European countries that receive Indian ammunition and send them to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic. The latter is an active participant in the initiative to supply artillery shells from outside the EU. In particular, the Italian defense contractor Meccanica per l'Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES) is actively implementing these shells. MES buys empty shells from the Indian company Yantra, filling them with explosives.
According to customs data, from February 2022 to July 2024, Yantra supplied empty 155-mm shells worth $35 million. In February 2024, the British company Dince Hill, closely associated with MES, exported ammunition worth $6.7 million from Italy to Ukraine.
Russia, a major arms supplier to India, has expressed outrage that some of its ammunition is being used by Ukrainian forces, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raising concerns in meetings with Indian diplomats.
Security expert Ludwig of King's College London believes that diverting ammunition to Ukraine is beneficial for India from a geopolitical point of view, as it allows it to maintain positive relations with Western partners without overtly disrupting its relations with Russia.
