Security Service of Ukraine delayed the management of the defense plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a batch of defective mortar shells. The operation was carried out with the assistance of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.
As a result of investigative actions, the general director of the plant and his first deputy were detained. They organized the supply of ammunition to the front, which turned out to be unsuitable for combat use. The former head of one of the military representative offices of the Ministry of Defense and the head of the control group of the corresponding unit were also detained.
The investigation established that at the beginning of 2024, the plant concluded an agreement with the Defense Procurement Agency to manufacture mortar ammunition for the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the contract, the company was supposed to supply the military with large batches of 120 mm mortar rounds.
However, low-quality materials were used for serial production, and the works themselves had significant technical defects. This led to the failure of the capsules of the main metal charge and the unstable operation of the powder part of the projectiles. In addition, the ammunition included additional projectile charges that did not meet the requirements for combat use.
In order to reduce the cost of production and get more profit from the state order, the organizers of the scheme involved representatives of military structures responsible for checking the quality of products. According to the case file, the officials deliberately ignored the deficiency and entered false data into the official documentation.
As a result, 120,000 unusable shells were sent to the front line. This is confirmed by the conclusions of a specialized examination.
At present, all four involved persons have been charged with suspicion under part. 2 Art. 28 and h. 2 Art. 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, committed by a group of persons under a prior conspiracy, which caused grave consequences). They face up to 15 years in prison. Investigative actions were conducted under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
