Soldiers have complained that many newly supplied mortar shells misfire or fail to explode on impact
Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after 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 had complained that many of the 120 mm shells from a newly received shipment had either failed to detonate or were unable to fly more than 50 meters. Some of the shells reportedly got stuck in mortar tubes.
He posted a video of a soldier attempting to fire one of the defective munitions.
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.
Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya sounded the alarm on Tuesday, 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 the 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.
The MOD released a statement on Tuesday, saying that a preliminary investigation points to “low-quality powder charges or violations of ammunition storage conditions” as possible reasons behind the malfunction. It added that full details would be made public due to the “sensitivity of information,” given the conflict with Russia.
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27 November 2024, 08:15 