Indian company supplied military explosives to Russia for $1.4 million despite threats of US sanctions - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Indian company Ideal Detonators Private Limited supplied military-grade explosive octogen to Russia in December for $1.4 million. This happened despite US warnings of possible sanctions against organizations supporting Russia's war efforts.
In December, the Indian company Ideal Detonators Private Limited supplied military-grade explosive material worth $1.4 million to Russia, despite US threats to impose sanctions against any organization supporting Russia's war efforts in its aggressive war against Ukraine. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
One of the Russian companies identified as recipients of this substance, known as octogen, is the explosives manufacturer Promsintez, which, according to an official from the Security Service of Ukraine, has ties to the aggressor country's army.
The official said that in April, Ukraine carried out a drone attack on a plant owned by Promsintez. According to the Pentagon's Defense Technical Information Center and related defense research programs, octogen is widely used in missile and torpedo warheads, rocket engines, explosive shells, and plastic explosives for advanced military systems.
The US government has identified octogen as "critical to Russia's war effort" and has warned financial institutions against facilitating any sale of the substance to Moscow. The sale of octogen to Russian firms had not been previously reported.
Russian defense manufacturers have been working around the clock for the past several years to support President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, which escalated after Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country in 2022.
India, which has recently forged closer ties with the United States in an attempt to balance China's growing influence, has not abandoned its long-standing military and economic ties with Moscow.
India's trade with Russia, especially its purchases of Russian oil, remains stable, even as Western countries have tried to cripple Russia's war economy with sanctions. US President Donald Trump earlier in July threatened to impose 100% tariffs on countries if they continued to buy Russian oil.
The US Treasury Department has the authority to impose sanctions on those who sell octogen and similar substances to Russia, according to three sanctions lawyers. Octogen is known as a "high explosive," meaning it detonates rapidly and is designed for maximum destruction.
Reuters has no indication that the octogen shipments violated Indian government policy. One Indian official familiar with the shipments said the compound has some limited civilian uses in addition to its more well-known military applications.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated: "India exports dual-use goods, taking into account its international non-proliferation obligations and relying on its robust legal and regulatory framework, which includes a holistic assessment of the relevant criteria for such exports."
The US State Department did not comment on the specific shipments identified by Reuters, but said it had repeatedly informed India that companies engaged in military business were at risk of sanctions.
India is a strategic partner with whom we have a full and frank dialogue, including on India's relations with Russia
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We have repeatedly made it clear to all our partners, including India, that any foreign company or financial institution doing business with Russia's military-industrial base is at risk of US sanctions.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
Although India is not usually among the main jurisdictions used to circumvent sanctions, we are aware that isolated cases may occur
We can confirm that the Russian company Promsintez has appeared on our radar in the past, particularly in connection with cooperation with Indian counterparts
Addition
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