Ukraine’s Security Service detains defense plant management over defective mortar shells

The SSU detained the management of a defense plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region for supplying defective mortar shells to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine.

SSU officers, with the assistance of the Ministry of Defense, exposed a scheme to supply defective mortar ammunition to the front.

As a result of a special operation in Dnipropetrovs’k region, the general director of a defense plant and his first deputy were detained. They had supplied the Defense Forces with a batch of shells that were unsuitable for combat use.

In addition to the executives of the state-owned enterprise, the SSU also detained the former head of one of the military missions of the Ministry of Defense and the head of the control group of the relevant unit.

According to the investigation, in early 2024, the plant signed a contract with the Defense Procurement Agency for the production of mortar rounds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The company undertook to supply large batches of 120-mm shells, but used low-quality materials for mass production and made manufacturing defects.

In particular, there was a malfunction of the main propellant charge capsules and instability of the entire powder block.

In addition, the ammunition included additional metal charges that did not meet combat standards. In this way, the organizers of the scheme tried to reduce costs and obtain excessive profits from the state order.

Officials of the military representative office, who were supposed to control the quality of defense products, were involved in the fraud. They deliberately ignored technical defects and entered false information into official documentation.

As a result, 120,000 unusable mortar rounds were sent to the front, which was confirmed by the conclusions of a professional examination.

All four detainees were served suspicion notices under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, which led to grave consequences. They face up to 15 years in prison.

The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.