Defective mortar rounds: defense plant managers detained
That’s according to the SBU, Ukrinform reports.
In addition to the heads of the state-owned enterprise, SBU operatives detained the former head of one of the military representations of the Ministry of Defense and the chief of the control group at the relevant unit.
As per the inquiry, in early 2024, the factory management signed a contract with the Defense Procurement Agency for the production of ammunition for the Ground Forces. According to the contract, the enterprise was to supply wholesale batches of 120mm mortar rounds.
"However, for the serial production of mortar rounds, the perpetrators used low-quality materials and allowed a production defect, which led to the failure of the main propellant capsule and the lack of stable operation of the entire powder charge. The munition pieces also included additional propellant charges that failed to meet the standards of combat use," the SBU noted.
Law enforcers say the masterminds behind the deal in this way tried to reduce production costs to get a greater profit from the government order.
"The plant management brought to the scheme officials from the military representation, who are supposed to control the quality of defense products. According to the case file, military officials deliberately ‘turned a blind eye’ to the defective batch of ammunition, filing false data into the reporting paperwork," the SBU emphasized.
As a result, 120,000 unusable mortar rounds were supplied to the frontlines, which is confirmed by experts.
SBU investigators have pressed charges against all four detainees under Article 28 Part 2 and Article 114-1 Part 2 of the Criminal Code (obstructing the army through conspiracy, which led to grave consequences).
The perpetrators will face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty in court.
As Ukrinform reported, in January, the court ruled to remand in custody with a UAH 9 million bail option a former director of one of the MoD departments, who is suspected of supplying defective large-caliber machine guns to the Armed Forces and causing financial damage to the government.
