The Republic of South Africa did not deliver the artillery shells ordered by Poland. The South African government feared that the ammunition might end up in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Polish publication Rzeczpospolita.
It is noted that a few months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Poland ordered ammunition from the German arms company Rheinmetall. The order was for the production of 50,000 shells.
As of August 2024, the Polish army had not yet received the shells.
The publication reached out to Poland's Ministry of Defense for information regarding the contract. The ministry stated that the contract was terminated on August 20, 2023, "due to issues related to the subcontractor's fulfillment of the contract."
According to Rzeczpospolita, the ammunition for Poland was to be manufactured by the South African company Rheinmetall-Denel Munition, a subsidiary of the German group, in which it holds a 51% stake.
The publication emphasizes that it was this subcontractor that blocked the delivery of the ammunition to Poland.
"The supply of ammunition to Poland was blocked—more or less directly—by the South African government due to concerns that it might be sent to Ukraine. However, South Africa is closer to Russia, with whom it is also a member of the BRICS alliance," the publication notes.
The authors add that to effectively defend against a potential Russian attack, Poland needs at least one million 155-mm artillery shells.
