2024-09-20 23:53:26
Kyiv: Ukraine is using Indian artillery shells in the war against Russia. These were sold to European countries by Indian arms manufacturers. Later they were sent to Ukraine. News agency Reuters has revealed this. The report said that despite Russia’s protest, India did not intervene to stop the trade. The report said on the basis of sources and customs data that the transfer of weapons to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia has been going on for more than a year. Indian arms export rules limit the use of weapons to those who have purchased it. Future sales can be stopped if unauthorized transfers occur. The report quoted three Indian officials as saying that Russia has raised the issue on at least two occasions. This includes a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Dr. S Jaishankar in July. According to the Reuters report, the defense ministries of Russia and India did not answer questions related to this. In January, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India had not sold artillery shells to Ukraine.
How many weapons were sent?
The report said that Indian weapons have been used in very small quantities in the Ukraine war. An official estimated that this would be less than one percent of the total ammunition imported by Ukraine. The report could not confirm whether European countries donated it to Ukraine or sold it. Italy and Czech Republic are also among the European countries sending Indian war material to Ukraine. They are also sending weapons to Ukraine apart from the European Union. Weapons of state-owned company Yantra India are being used in the Ukraine war.
‘India did not take action’
The Indian official said India was monitoring the situation. But he, along with a defense industry executive with knowledge of the transfer, said India had taken no action to reduce supplies. The defense ministries of Ukraine, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic have also not commented on this. The US gives the most support to Ukraine. Recently, the defense cooperation between the US and India has increased. Apart from this, India also has good relations with Russia, which has been its major supplier of weapons. India has refused to join the Western leadership against Russia.