Indian arms manufacturers have been supplying artillery shells that have subsequently been redirected by European clients to Ukraine, with New Delhi refraining from intervening in this trade despite objections from Moscow. This information comes from eleven officials in Indian and European governments and the defense sector, along with a Reuters analysis of publicly accessible customs data.

According to these sources and the customs records, the transfer of munitions to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russia has been ongoing for over a year. Indian regulations governing arms exports stipulate that weaponry must be used solely by the declared buyer, who may face the risk of losing future sales if unauthorized transfers are detected. The Kremlin has addressed this matter on at least two occasions, including during a meeting in July between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart, as reported by three Indian officials.

This marks the first time Reuters has disclosed details regarding these ammunition transfers. Neither the foreign nor defense ministries of Russia and India provided responses to inquiries. In January, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated at a news conference that India had not supplied or sold artillery shells to Ukraine.

Two sources from the Indian government and the defense industry informed Reuters that the amount of ammunition produced by Delhi for use in Ukraine is minimal, with one official estimating it to be less than 1% of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the onset of the conflict. The news agency was unable to ascertain whether the munitions were sold or donated to Kyiv by European clients. Among the European nations supplying Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is spearheading an initiative to provide Kyiv with artillery shells sourced from outside the European Union, as reported by a Spanish official, a senior Indian official, and a former high-ranking executive at Yantra India, a state-owned enterprise whose munitions are currently utilized by Ukraine.

The Indian official indicated that Delhi is closely monitoring the situation. However, along with a defense industry executive with firsthand knowledge of the transfers, he noted that India has not taken steps to restrict the supply to Europe. Like many of the 20 individuals interviewed by Reuters, they requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue. The defense ministries of Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic did not respond to inquiries for comment.

Recently, Delhi and Washington have enhanced their defense and diplomatic collaboration, particularly in light of the growing influence of China, which both nations consider their primary adversary. India maintains strong relations with Russia, its longstanding arms supplier, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted not to participate in the Western-led sanctions against Moscow. However, as the world’s largest arms importer, India views the ongoing conflict in Europe as a chance to bolster its emerging arms export industry, according to six Indian sources familiar with government perspectives.

Ukraine, currently engaged in a struggle to counter a Russian offensive towards the eastern logistics center of Pokrovsk, faces a critical shortage of artillery ammunition. The White House refrained from commenting, while the U.S. State Department directed inquiries regarding India’s arms exports to the Indian government.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicates that India exported slightly over $3 billion in arms from 2018 to 2023. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced at an August 30 conference that defense exports exceeded $2.5 billion in the previous fiscal year, with a goal to reach approximately $6 billion by 2029.

Customs records reveal that in the two years leading up to the February 2022 invasion, three prominent 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 defense contractors have heavily invested in supply chains for Ukraine. However, between February 2022 and July 2024, this figure surged to $135.25 million, including completed munitions that India began exporting to these four countries.

Arzan Tarapore, a defense expert from Stanford University, noted that India’s initiative to expand its arms exports significantly influenced the transfer of its arms to Ukraine.

The unlisted Italian defense contractor Meccanica per l’Elettronica e Servomeccanismi (MES) has been identified as one of the companies receiving Indian-manufactured shells for Ukraine, according to a former senior official from Yantra. MES is the largest foreign client of Yantra, with the executive noting that the Rome-based firm purchases empty shells from India and subsequently fills them with explosives.

While several Western companies possess the capability to fill explosives, they lack the manufacturing capacity to produce artillery shells on a large scale, the executive explained. In its annual report for 2022-23, Yantra disclosed a partnership with an unnamed Italian client to establish a production line for L15A1 shells, which the former Yantra official confirmed to be MES. Neither MES nor Yantra India responded to requests for comments via email. Customs data reveals that Yantra exported $35 million worth of empty 155mm L15A1 shells to MES from February 2022 to July 2024.

Additionally, customs records indicate that in February 2024, the U.K.-based arms company Dince Hill, which has a senior MES executive on its board, shipped $6.7 million in ammunition from Italy to Ukraine. Among these exports were 155mm L15A1 shells, which the customs declaration stated were produced by MES for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, aimed at enhancing Ukraine’s defense capabilities and mobilization readiness. Dince Hill did not respond to an email inquiry, and its new owner, Effequattro Consulting based in Rome, was unavailable for comment.

In a separate incident, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente publicly shared an end-user agreement in May, signed by a Czech defense official, which permitted the transfer of 120mm and 125mm ammunition shells from Munitions India to the arms dealer Czech Defence Systems. Pro-Palestinian activists had claimed that the Borkum, a vessel carrying Indian-made arms that docked in a Spanish port, was transporting these weapons to Israel.

In May, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the ultimate destination of certain munitions was Ukraine. A Spanish official, along with another source familiar with the situation, confirmed to Reuters that Kyiv was indeed the final recipient. Munitions India and CDS did not provide responses to inquiries. Customs records from March 27 indicate that Munitions India shipped 10,000 rounds of 120mm and 125mm mortar shells, valued at over $9 million, from Chennai to CDS.

Russia, which accounts for more than 60% of India’s arms imports, is considered a key ally for New Delhi. In July, Prime Minister Modi selected Moscow for his first bilateral international visit following his re-election to a third term. During a meeting that same month in Kazakhstan, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Russian Minister Lavrov discussed the use of Indian munitions by Ukrainian forces, with Lavrov expressing concerns about some being produced by state-owned Indian companies, as reported by an Indian official with direct knowledge of the discussion. The official did not disclose Jaishankar’s reply.

Walter Ladwig, a security expert specializing in South Asia at King’s College London, noted that the diversion of a relatively small quantity of ammunition serves a geopolitically advantageous purpose for India. “It enables India to demonstrate to Western partners that it is not aligned with Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he stated, emphasizing that Moscow has limited influence over India’s strategic choices.