A delivery that violates the principles according to which Switzerland does not deliver weapons to a belligerent state.
Hundreds of thousands of Swiss small caliber ammunition, intended for precision shooting, landed illegally in Ukraine without the knowledge of its manufacturer, Swiss public television SRF revealed this Thursday, November 21, based on a report from the Ministry of Defense. economy, we learned from AFP.
Ces 645,000 cartridges intended for precision shooters – the specialty of the company Swiss P Defense – were delivered in July 2023 to a Polish company UMO SP, who then exported them to Ukraine four days later. A re-export which violates the arms embargo and the principle according to which Switzerland does not deliver weapons to a belligerent state. Furthermore, Switzerland also prohibits customers of arms companies from re-exporting them to a country that is taking part in a war.
The ammunition was to remain in Poland
A position that arises from Swiss neutrality and which has been criticized against the Alpine country since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. Germany in particular had lobbied, in vain, to be able to deliver Swiss ammunition to the Ukrainians at the same time as its Cheépard anti-aircraft defense armored vehicles.
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“We can confirm that exports to the Polish company concerned will no longer be permitted until further notice”explains According to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs (SECO). It is unclear whether the munitions were used in Ukraine.
As the Seco test report indicates, Swiss P Defense knew nothing about the transfer before delivery. It therefore exported the munitions on the assumption that they would remain in Poland. Seco approved the export in two deliveries respectively in November 2022 and May 2023, upon presentation of an import permit from Poland, specifies SFR. The Swiss company itself had included a clause in the sales contract which clearly specified that the munitions had to remain in Poland.
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