Ukrainian soldiers shared photo of foreign shells in their service. If the authenticity of the footage is confirmed, it shows ammunition from Iran, India and Pakistan in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The photo shows the set of 125 mm high-explosive fragmentation tank shells that includes:
- Iranian-made 3VOF19;
- Pakistani HE FS TK;
- Indian SHELL 125 MM HE 1A.
Iranian 3VOF19 are a copy of the Soviet-made OF26 shells with TNT charge. Judging by the footage, the marking on the shells shows that they were produced in the Iran in 2022.
There are no official military supplies from Iran, India and Pakistan to Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian military can receive ammunition from different countries via third countries. Illegal supply routs include various countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, which bought ammunition from Iran. Militants can sell ammunition taken in the captured warehouses in the Middle East or sell cargoes captured as a result of attacks on cargo ships in the region.
Transfer of various shells made in the countries which do not officially support the Ukrainian military is largely supported by the US and other Western sponsors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.