Ukraine arrests a number of defense officials on charges of supplying the army with tens of thousands of unfit shells.
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The Ukrainian security services announced today, Tuesday, that they have arrested a number of defense officials on charges of supplying the army with tens of thousands of unfit shells during the Russian invasion of the country.
The Ukrainian authorities had confirmed in November 2024 that they would investigate the scandal after it was exposed by the press.
At least 120,000 120mm shells had to be withdrawn from the front line at a time when Kiev's forces were suffering from an ammunition shortage.
The Ukrainian Security Service stated that they have arrested the director of a factory in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine and his deputy, as well as a former head of a department in the Ministry of Defense and a military inspector.
In a statement, they confirmed that "the suspects used poor-quality materials and carried out defective work in the mass production of shells, leading to malfunctions."
According to the source, the goal was fraud by reducing production costs to achieve greater profits from public orders, with complicity from military officials who "ignored the batch of unfit ammunition and entered false information in the documents."
The detainees are accused of "obstructing the activities of the armed forces" and face up to 15 years in prison.
The scandal was exposed in late 2024 when soldiers began to complain in the media about shells that did not explode, got stuck, or misfired.
The Ukrainian authorities had confirmed in November 2024 that they would investigate the scandal after it was exposed by the press.
At least 120,000 120mm shells had to be withdrawn from the front line at a time when Kiev's forces were suffering from an ammunition shortage.
The Ukrainian Security Service stated that they have arrested the director of a factory in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine and his deputy, as well as a former head of a department in the Ministry of Defense and a military inspector.
In a statement, they confirmed that "the suspects used poor-quality materials and carried out defective work in the mass production of shells, leading to malfunctions."
According to the source, the goal was fraud by reducing production costs to achieve greater profits from public orders, with complicity from military officials who "ignored the batch of unfit ammunition and entered false information in the documents."
The detainees are accused of "obstructing the activities of the armed forces" and face up to 15 years in prison.
The scandal was exposed in late 2024 when soldiers began to complain in the media about shells that did not explode, got stuck, or misfired.
