The Ministry of Defense stated that it has been actively investigating the causes of the abnormal firing of 120-mm Ukrainian artillery ammunition for three weeks. Their use in the Defense Forces was suspended, and the defective batch was withdrawn for research.
The Ministry of Defense stated that it has been actively investigating the causes of the abnormal firing of 120-mm Ukrainian artillery ammunition for three weeks. Their use in the Defense Forces was suspended, and the defective batch was withdrawn for research.
"Preliminary results of the interagency commission's investigation into the supply of low-quality 120-mm mortar mines indicate possible causes of defects, in particular, low-quality powder charges or violations of ammunition storage conditions, which led to their damage," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
It states that the State Bureau of Investigation has initiated criminal proceedings based on this fact. Also, the interdepartmental commission will conduct an inspection of mortar mines of other calibers for compliance with production standards, the quality of components and their storage conditions.
According to "Military" with reference to journalist Yuriy Butusov, the mines were defective because the powder charges did not work due to damping caused by leaky packaging. Because of this, when fired, the mine may fall several meters away from the operator or even get stuck in the mortar barrel.
Among other problems:
The first can cause the appearance of metal fragments that remain in the barrel, making the next shot impossible. The second leads to the fact that even when the projectile is shot and hit, it does not detonate.
According to Butusov , more than 100,000 mines were removed, which were manufactured at the facilities of the Ukroboronprom enterprises. He said that the state contracted about 1.9 million mines from them.
The journalist stated that the removal of defective shells undermined the combat effectiveness of seven armed forces brigades operating in the combat zone: they did not receive new 120-mm mines instead of the defective ones.
The Ministry of Defense noted that imported mines will be supplied instead of the seized defective ammunition.
UPD. The Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Herman Smetanin reported that currently the military has recorded 417 cases of abnormal activation of 120 mm mines. About 24,000 of the latest batches, totaling 54,000 mines, are subject to replacement.
"The replacement of mines will be carried out free of charge for the military - at the expense of the manufacturing plant. As of now, 2 criminal proceedings have been opened, investigative actions and internal checks are ongoing," the minister noted.
