The soldiers have discovered that many of the new mortar shells failed to explode
The Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after the troops fighting on the front line received a shipment of defective mortar shells.
The problem was first revealed by Yury Butusov, editor-in-chief of the popular news website Censor.net. He said earlier this month that soldiers from different units complained that many of the 120 mm shells from a newly received shipment either failed to detonate or were unable to fly for more than 50 meters. Some of the shells reportedly got struck in mortar tubes.
He posted a video of a soldier attempting to fire one of the defective shells.
Butusov quoted a soldier as saying that the problem seemed to be the low quality of TNT used in the munitions. According to the journalist, the faulty shells were manufactured in Ukraine. “It is a really serious systemic problem,” he said.
Several MPs sounded the alarm on Tuesday, with Maryana Bezuglaya claiming that the Defense Ministry has sent 100,000 defective shells to the front line. She blamed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, accusing him of spending time on “PR stunts with presentations and handshakes.”
Another outspoken member of Ukraine’s parliament, Aleksey Goncharenko, posted more videos of soldiers handling what appear to be faulty shells. “It is simply a crime against the state. There is no other way of putting it,” he wrote on Telegram. “We need an investigation here and now.”
Fyodor Venislavsky, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, said that the authorities have determined why shells were not working properly. “I cannot disclose the details, but it is clear that the main reasons were the decrease in temperature and higher humidity. These shells were working fine in dry weather,” he said.
Venislavsky said that defective munitions have since been recalled. He declined to reveal the exact numbers, however.
News channel TSN reported that the Defense Ministry has launched its own probe, while the State Bureau of Investigations has initiated criminal proceedings. The channel cited its sources as saying that details would not be made public due to “the sensitivity of the information” in the light of the ongoing conflict with Russia.
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