A Ministry of Defence official has been charged in connection with ‘paper’ mortars that were inaccurate and broke down quickly
This is reported by the SBU and the Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko.
The SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General state that in 2023, the Ministry of Defence purchased 250 foreign-made 120-mm mortars. When the weapons arrived, it transpired that they did not live up to the manufacturer’s promises: they were inaccurate, broke down frequently, and the military consequently nicknamed them ‘paper’ mortars. What is more, they posed a threat to the lives of the artillerymen.
Investigators found that an official had signed a contract with an unverified company and had not even carried out the mandatory pre-purchase tests. Despite this, the firm was sent an advance payment of over 182 million hryvnias.
Even after attempts to rectify the defects, the mortars never became fit for use. They have already been withdrawn from Ukrainian Armed Forces units. The former official now faces up to six years in prison for abuse of office resulting in serious consequences.
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