Ukraine reportedly using Indian arms against Russia: How and why explained

Moscow has raised concerns about artillery shells sold by Indian manufacturers to European customers turning up in Ukraine, but New Delhi does not appear to have taken action to stop such transfers

Artillery shells sold by Indian arms manufacturers have been diverted by European customers to Ukraine, and New Delhi has not intervened to halt this trade despite protests from Moscow, Reuters reported on Wednesday, based on interactions with eleven officials from Indian and European governments and the defence industry, as well as an analysis of commercially available customs data.

The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine's defence against Russia has been occurring for over a year, said the report, citing the sources and customs data. Indian arms export regulations restrict the use of weaponry to the declared purchaser, who risks future sales being terminated if unauthorised transfers take place.

 

Citing three unnamed Indian officials, the report said that the Kremlin raised these concerns on at least two occasions, including during a July meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The report added that neither the foreign nor the defence ministries of Russia and India responded to requests for comment. However, in January, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had stated at a news conference that India had not sent or sold artillery shells to Ukraine.

Two Indian government sources and two defence industry sources informed the news agency that India produced only a very small quantity of the ammunition currently being used in Ukraine, with one official estimating it to be under one per cent of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the war began. The news agency could not ascertain whether the munitions were resold or donated to Kyiv by the European customers.

Where is Ukraine getting Indian munitions from?

Among the European nations supplying Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is leading an initiative to provide Kyiv with artillery shells from outside the European Union, said the report, citing a Spanish and senior Indian official and a former top executive at Yantra India, a state-owned company whose munitions are being used in Ukraine.

The Indian official mentioned that New Delhi was monitoring the situation. However, along with a defence industry executive familiar with the transfers, the official noted that India had not taken any action to restrict this supply to Europe.

The defence ministries of Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic also did not respond to requests for comment by the news agency.

Meanwhile, New Delhi and Washington -- with the latter being Ukraine's primary security ally -- have recently strengthened defence and diplomatic cooperation in response to a rising China, which both countries consider their main rival.

India also maintains strong ties with Russia, which accounts for over 60 per cent of New Delhi's arms imports and is a valued partner. In fact, in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Moscow for his first bilateral international trip after being re-elected to a third term. Moreover, India has refused to join the Western-led sanctions against Moscow.

Why is India not halting these transfers to Ukraine?

As the world's largest arms importer, India views the prolonged conflict in Europe as an opportunity to develop its emerging arms export sector, said the report, citing six unnamed Indian sources familiar with official perspectives.

For its part, Ukraine is facing a severe shortage of artillery ammunition.

According to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India exported just over $3 billion in arms between 2018 and 2023.

At an August 30 conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that India's defence exports surpassed $2.5 billion in the last financial year, with a goal to increase this to approximately $6 billion by 2029.

Meanwhile, commercial customs records analysed by the news agency reveal that in the two years preceding Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, three major Indian ammunition manufacturers -- Yantra, Munitions India, and Kalyani Strategic Systems -- exported only $2.8 million in munitions components to Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Slovenia, where defence contractors have invested heavily in supply chains for Ukraine.

However, between February 2022 and July 2024, that figure rose to $135.25 million, which included completed munitions that India began exporting to those four nations.

Arzan Tarapore, a defence expert from Stanford University, told the news agency that New Delhi's efforts to expand its arms exports significantly influenced the transfer of its arms to Ukraine.

Which European companies are giving Ukraine Indian-made artillery shells?

The unlisted Italian defence contractor Meccanica per l'Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES) was among the companies sending Indian-made shells to Ukraine, said the report, citing the former top Yantra official.

The official reportedly said that the Rome-based company, which is Yantra's largest foreign client, purchases empty shells from India and fills them with explosives.

While several Western firms have the capability to fill explosives, they lack the manufacturing capacity to mass-produce artillery shells, the official added.

However, neither MES nor Yantra India responded to emails seeking comment.

Meanwhile, customs data analysed by the news agency indicate that Yantra shipped $35 million worth of empty 155mm L15A1 shells to MES between February 2022 and July 2024.

Records also show that in February 2024, UK-based arms company Dince Hill -- whose board includes a senior MES executive -- exported $6.7 million in ammunition from Italy to Ukraine.

Among the exports were 155mm L15A1 shells, which the customs declaration specified were manufactured by MES for Ukraine's Defence Ministry and supplied for "promoting the defence capability and mobilisation readiness of Ukraine."

Yantra said in its 2022-23 annual report that it had agreed a deal with an unnamed Italian client to set up a manufacturing line for L15A1 shells. The former Yantra executive identified this client as MES.

Dince Hill did not respond to an email requesting comment. Its new owner, Rome-based Effequattro Consulting, could not be reached either.

In May, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente shared on social media an end-user agreement signed by a Czech defence official that authorised the transfer of 120mm and 125mm ammunition shells from Munitions India to arms dealer Czech Defence Systems.

Moreover, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported in May that the actual final destination of the Indian-made arms carried by a vessel that had stopped in a Spanish port was Ukraine. While a Spanish official and another source familiar with the matter confirmed to the news agency that Kyiv was the end user, Munitions India and CDS did not respond to inquiries.

Customs records dated March 27 and analysed by the news agency show that Munitions India had shipped 10,000 rounds of 120mm and 125mm mortar shells, valued at over $9 million, from Chennai to CDS.

Walter Ladwig, a South Asia security expert at King's College London, told the news agency that the diversion of a relatively small amount of ammunition was geopolitically beneficial for New Delhi because it allows India to demonstrate to its Western partners "that it is not 'on Russia's side' in the Russia-Ukraine conflict".