An Indian defense company says that it did not resell sensitive technology to Russia that was supplied by one of the biggest corporate donors to the populist Reform UK party.
The New York Times reported in March that, according to 2023 and 2024 shipping records, the British aerospace manufacturer H.R. Smith Group exported equipment to India that had been flagged as critical to Russian weapon systems. That included transmitters, cockpit equipment and antennas.
The Indian company, Hindustan Aeronautics, is the biggest trading partner of the Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport.
Hindustan Aeronautics did not respond to repeated requests for comment, but a lawyer for H.R. Smith recently provided The Times with a statement from Hindustan Aeronautics staying that the British equipment was not sold to Russia. The statement was dated a week after the Times article was published and received coverage in India.
That aligns with the account of H.R. Smith Group, which said that its sales were lawful and that the equipment was used in an Indian search-and-rescue network. The parts “support lifesaving operations” and are “not designed for military use,” said Nick Watson, a lawyer for the company.
In its statement, Hindustan Aeronautics said that the parts were used for helicopters operated in India.
Shipping records showed that, in some instances, within days of receiving the British equipment, it shipped parts to Russia with the same identifying product codes. Those codes relate to specific types of equipment, such as radar technology, but can cover a number of parts. H.R. Smith said that meant the codes could not be used to connect its parts to those sold by the Indian company.
H.R. Smith Group donated 100,000 pounds (just under $130,000) to Reform U.K. last year, two days after Nigel Farage was announced as the party’s leader. The company is run by Richard Smith, a businessman who owns 55 Tufton Street, a Westminster townhouse that is home to some of Britain’s most influential right-wing lobbying and research groups.
Britain and the United States have prohibited the sale of equipment to Rosoboronexport but India has not. Western companies are allowed to sell to Indian companies but have been urged to be diligent in ensuring that parts are not diverted to Russia.
Hindustan Aeronautics is identifiable in public records as a supplier to the Russian military but is not under financial sanctions so British companies are allowed to sell to it.
Reached by phone in March, Mr. Farage said that he had “never approved of anything Putin has done,” but declined to comment on H.R. Smith’s sales. A party spokesman said the donation was lawful.
“Such woeful attempts to smear Reform will not work,” the spokesman said.
