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September 22, 2024 - 4:30pm
Is India arming Ukraine? A report this week in Reuters claims that, for over a year, Indian munitions have been making their way to Ukraine. The quantities are almost negligible: India is the source of less than 1% of all the armaments imported by Kyiv. But what makes this significant is not the volume of the weapons. It is the fact that ordnance produced in India, whose own defence for decades has been reliant on imports from Moscow, is being used against Russian soldiers
India has been Russia’s closest partner in Asia for more than half a century. And as Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised in an effusive speech in July to the Indian diaspora in Moscow, Delhi has long regarded Russia as its all-weather friend.
The Russo-Indian relationship was forged during the Cold War, when the United States sought to isolate India, shook hands with Mao’s China, and patronised Pakistan with weapons, aid and membership to security alliances. Moscow, on the other hand, deployed its veto power to shield India at meetings of the UN Security Council when necessary, maintained a vital trade relationship, and supplied essential military hardware to Delhi in exchange for goods. Indeed, the Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev once told Indians that “if you ever you call us from the mountaintops we will appear at your side.’’
Indians made that call in 1971 when Pakistan’s military junta, backed by the US, perpetrated a genocide in what is today Bangladesh, slaughtering three million Bengalis and displacing 10 million people. When India authorised military action after Pakistan’s pre-emptive strikes on Indian airfields, the US and Britain dispatched naval fleets to the Bay of Bengal to intimidate India. Moscow sent a rival fleet to defend it. Bangladesh was liberated in days, but that experience — during which fellow democracies had lined up behind a genocidal regime — served to shape the worldview of a generation of Indians. I have never met an Indian official who has not spoken with profound affection for Russia.
So why would India allow 155mm artillery shells manufactured in its factories to end up in Ukrainian mortars? Any transfer of Indian weapons to Ukraine, Indians maintain, would have happened in violation of the end-user agreement it signed with European buyers. If so, has Delhi lodged protests or threatened to terminate sales? On this question, officials are taciturn.
The demand for 155mm shells and the components that go into them has surged exponentially since the war in Ukraine began. The West is unable to meet it, partly because of the choices made by those countries’ leaders in peacetime. The decision by the United States to phase out trinitrotoluene — the explosive that is poured into the shells — for a more “environmentally friendly” alternative frustrated its ability to produce ordnance when it was needed. Russia is thought to be manufacturing three million artillery shells a year — almost three times the number produced by the US and Europe combined. And so Ukraine’s backers in the West have been forced to search for producers elsewhere.
India, aggressively modernising its defence sector, has relatively abundant stockpiles of artillery shells. Germany held covert talks with India at the beginning of the year to persuade Delhi to transfer some of its hoard to Ukraine. It did not succeed, because Delhi was not willing to alienate Russia.
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SubscribeAn interesting perspective on Indian-Russian relations. Slowly but surely the developing world asserts itself against the West.
Also an interesting reminder of what happened regarding Bangladesh, and the way that tragedy still plays out today. At the time, George Harrison staged a “Concert for Bangladesh” to provide some relief for those caught up in the massacres.
The part played by the UK and the US doesn’t look great, and wasn’t well-known at the time.
Please understand that the Indo- Russia relationship irrespective of party in power is an old and trusted one. Russia doesn’t lay down conditionalities and expect India to give up its independent foreign policy.
It’s weapon sales include tech transfer unlike most Western ones requiring contractors of the West.
Plus the US has always sided with Pakistan including in recent events in Bangladesh.
So has the entire Anglo Saxon bloc including the UK.
Till Xi, the West also supported China.
The Indo Russia friendship is bound to remain.
Noone has forgotten 1971 and the fact that the US was sending it’s Seventh Fleet against India.
India might be looking at how well Russian weapons are going in Ukraine, and be having “buyer’s remorse”.
No way. Us weapons are proving their ” mettle” and we are relieved not to be buying much from them!
Well, good luck with the Russian tanks you still have then. They are great if you want to bake the tank crews, but not so good if you want to use them in battle.
NLAW missiles costing $25k destroying $4M T-90s changes modern warfare. Sometime in the future China and India will compete for dominance of Asia. In 1962 China India War went badly fro India. Since then China has naval bases in Sri Lanka, owns Pakistan and has been active in Burma. Maldives are not pro India.
India has never had a war leader. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw whose expertise was due to fighting in the British Army in Burma against the Japanese.
Sam Manekshaw – Wikipedia
If China attacks India who can they expect to support them ? One could expect Pakistan and Burma to provide support to China based upon their dislike for India.Russia needs China to buy it’s minerals.
China will soon be able to launch attacks against India from the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Burma and Pakistan which would split the India defence forces. Allowing Sri Lanka to go bankrupt which enabled China to build a port means India has to locate armed forces on the extreme south of the country. This is the first time India has a military threat to the southern part of the country. Indian technology companies are largely based around Bangalore .
The USA support for Pakistan since 1979 has been due to USSR invasion of Afghanistan and then rise of Islamic Terrorism. Now The USA has pulled out Afghanistan and is self sufficient in oil and gas it’s interest in the Middle East and Western Asia is waning. Pakistan has two timed the USA over support for the Taleban and I expect they will receive far less aid and support in the future.
What equipment and training does India need to protect itself from a Chinese attack? Russia is now relying on very heavy artillery barrages and use of large number of tanks ; is this sustainable for India if attacked by China?
I differ substantially on the US support to Pakistan.
Indeed they are eagerly supporting Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh and repeating mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Seems US Neo Cons never learn.
You may also recall that even in 2020 during Sino Indian border clashes the West did not support India unequivocally.
We are certainly not Ukraine to trust the US given our past experiences with them and the present US disingenuous conduct in supporting rabid Wahabists. It could improve if Trump became President.
Regarding Russian weapons, you may like to read up on Brahmos missiles.
India is a democratic country and can’t match CCP in its military absolutism. At the same time France and Israel are stable Western allies to obviate the points you raise regarding Russian arms.
See how India has just signed deals with France.
Also I think you are underestimating the Indian armed forces. Political leadership under Congress was foolish but there were many brave officers and soldiers other than Manekshaw. Lt Gen Jacob, Jagjit Singh Arora, Gen Chaudhuri, Admiral Chatterjee are some of the illustrious men one can easily cite- there were countless others.
Muh Himars, muh Abrams, muh Leopard tanks
The Javelin shoulder mount anti-tank weapons are proving highly effective.
This Indian move is in response to the growing bond between Russia and China, in order to stake out a more favourable niche in relations with the US.
Apparently Russia is having to turn to North Korea for ammunition, so its own manufacturing facilities must be falling short.