AFU received defective artillery mines ahead of full-scale invasion - SBU

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.

On the eve of a full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, entrepreneurs are to supply the AFU with artillery mines worth almost 270m hryvnyas. The corresponding contract was signed between the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and three private companies.

According to the signed contracts, the entrepreneurs were supposed to ship the warheads by February 2022. However, by this date, the companies delivered to the Ministry of Defence only a part of the ordered mines, which in addition turned out to be defective due to the use of low-quality gunpowder," the SBU said.

It is noted that this is a significant defect that makes it impossible to use the ammunition in combat conditions and leads to the disabling of the artillery weapon itself. The defect was discovered during tests of the received mines. The batch of ammunition was returned to the manufacturing companies to eliminate the deficiencies.

The entrepreneurs have not yet eliminated technical defects in the ammunition, thus failing to supply the AFU with artillery mines under the state order.

Two managers of the companies were reported on suspicion under part 4 of article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - fraud committed on a large scale. The sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for up to 8 years.

The investigation to bring to justice all those involved in the offence is ongoing.