NEW DELHI: The Indian govt has described as factually incorrect and misleading a New York Times report claiming that an Indian firm – state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited – facilitated transfer of sensitive British equipment and technology from a Reform UK party donor to Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport.
According to the report, the Indian company received equipment from HR Smith group, which donated £1,00,000 (just under $1,30,000) to Reform UK last year, and, within days, sent parts to Russia with the same identifying product codes.
Govt sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the report was factually incorrect and misleading, and has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative.
“The Indian entity mentioned in the report has scrupulously followed all its international obligations on strategic trade controls and end-user commitments. India’s robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide overseas commercial ventures by its companies,” said an official.
“We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which obviously was overlooked in the instant case,” added the official.
The report said that the components have civilian and military uses and have been flagged by the British and American authorities as critical to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. “Officials have urged exporters to carry out detailed checks to ensure that their clients are not redirecting restricted equipment to Moscow,” it said.
