Russia manipulates with fakes to prevent deterioration of relations with India - ISW
Russian media manipulate information to prevent a deterioration of relations between Russia and India (defence.ua.com)
Russian media try to prevent a deterioration of relations between Russia and India through the news about Western countries allegedly deliberately supplying Ukrainian forces with artillery ammunition produced in India, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
As stated in the report, the Indian branch of the Russian government-owned media outlet Sputnik declared on January 3rd that a veteran of the Indian Air Force accused Slovenia of purchasing Indian 155mm artillery ammunition under false pretenses and supplying ammunition to Ukraine to damage Russian-Indian bilateral relations. Sputnik India emphasized New Delhi's neutral position on the war in Ukraine and the close strategic partnership between the country and Russia.
Moreover, Economic Ties reported that Russian officials have reached out to the Indian government to address the issue of transferring Indian-manufactured ammunition reaching Ukraine through European intermediaries, aiming to smooth over the matter.
ISW emphasizes that they have not found evidence of any warring party using artillery ammunition of Indian origin. Experts from the Institute suggest that Russian sources and officials may be attempting to portray this issue as a Western provocation to alleviate potential tensions with India.
"On December 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, presumably to preserve critical trade relations between Russia and India," the statement says.
Terrorists in Europe due to the war in Ukraine
Additionally, as noted in the ISW report, one of the Russian military bloggers has been pushing a narrative that "terrorists" could easily infiltrate Europe due to the war in Ukraine.
The blogger is likely attempting to undermine Western support for further aid to Ukraine and discussions regarding Ukraine's accession to the European Union, analysts at the Institute suggest.
The blogger referenced an article from the Bild, claiming that ISIS terrorists from the province of Khorasan in Tajikistan could easily enter Europe by posing as refugees from Ukraine. He expanded on a map supposedly illustrating the route these terrorists take to reach Germany and pointed out that this path goes through Russia.
"The Institute has no evidence to confirm this information from Bild. The military blogger likely pushed this claim, trying to link European concerns about terrorist attacks and migration debates with ongoing support for Ukraine," states the ISW report.
India's position on the war between Russia and Ukraine
India did not directly condemn Russia's military invasion, but it did not endorse it either. However, after Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, New Delhi began purchasing more Russian oil.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak claimed that half of Russia's oil and oil product exports in 2023 went to China, while India's share increased to 40% over two years.
Additionally, India calls on the Group of Seven (G7) nations to delay the implementation of the ban on Russian diamonds according to the adopted 12th package of sanctions against the aggressor country. New Delhi believes that the rules for tracing the origin of diamonds remain unclear.
