According to information obtained by Reuters, Indian artillery shells that were supposed to be sent to other countries were diverted by European buyers to Ukraine. This has been going on for over a year, despite protests from Moscow. India does not intervene in this process, demonstrating its lack of direct control over the final destination of its weapons.
According to customs and sources in the Indian government, the Indian share in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine is insignificant - less than 1% of the total amount of weapons imported by Kyiv. Despite close military ties between India and Russia, which has long been the main supplier of weapons to Delhi, the Indian government allows European countries to use its products to support the defense of Ukraine.
Among the European countries that receive Indian ammunition and send it 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) actively implements these shells. MES buys empty shells from the Indian company Yantra, filling them with explosives.
Between February 2022 and July 2024, Yantra supplied $35 million worth of empty 155mm shells, according to customs. In February 2024, the British company Dince Hill, closely related to MES, exported ammunition worth 6.7 million dollars from Italy to Ukraine.
Russia, a major arms supplier to India, has expressed outrage that some Indian ammunition is being used by Ukrainian forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed concern about this in meetings with Indian diplomats.
Security expert Ludwig from 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 its Western partners without openly violating its relations with Russia.
