Ammunition manufactured in India has been diverted to Ukraine for over a year by European clients, despite protests from Russia.
Rerouted Ammunition
According to sources from both India and Europe, New Delhi has not taken action to stop these transfers, even after the Kremlin raised the issue twice — most notably during a July meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
While India officially restricts the use of exported weapons to the buyer, European countries such as Italy and the Czech Republic have reportedly rerouted small amounts of ammunition to Ukraine, according to L'independent.
These shipments make up less than 1% of Ukraine's imported arms since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. The exact nature of the transfers remains unclear, but Indian-made artillery is playing a role, albeit limited, in the Ukrainian conflict.
Refused to Join Sanctions
India has maintained strong ties with Russia, its primary arms supplier, even as it strengthens security cooperation with the U.S. to counter China's growing influence.
New Delhi has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow, despite being a leading arms importer. However, some experts believe India’s limited ammunition transfers to Ukraine are a strategic way to signal neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war.
India is also looking to expand its own arms exports. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently set an ambitious goal of reaching $6 billion in annual arms exports by 2029, up from $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year.
