RT reported that the Ukrainian government has launched an investigation after troops fighting on the front lines received a batch of faulty mortar shells.
The problem was first revealed by Yury Butusov, editor-in-chief of the popular Censor.net news website. He said in early November that soldiers from various units had complained that many of the newly received 120mm shells did not explode or could not fly further than 50 meters. Some shells were reportedly stuck in mortar tubes.
Mr. Butusov posted a video showing a soldier trying to fire one of the defective shells.
Butusov quoted the soldier as saying that the problem appeared to be due to low quality gunpowder used in the shells.
According to the journalist, the defective shells were manufactured in Ukraine. "This is a really serious systemic problem," he said.
On November 26, Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya sounded the alarm, claiming that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had sent 100,000 defective artillery shells to the frontline. She blamed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, accusing him of spending his time on “PR stunts with presentations and handshakes.”
Another outspoken member of the Ukrainian parliament, Aleksey Goncharenko, also posted more videos of soldiers handling what appeared to be faulty shells.
"This is simply a crime against the state. There is no other way to put it. We need an investigation right here and right now," he wrote on Telegram.
Fyodor Venislavsky, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, said the authorities had determined why the shells did not work properly.
“I can’t reveal details, but obviously the main reason is the drop in temperature and higher humidity. These shells perform well in dry weather,” he said.
Venislavsky said defective shells have since been recalled, but he declined to disclose the exact number.
On November 26, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that a preliminary investigation indicated that “low-quality gunpowder or violations of ammunition storage conditions” could have been the cause of the incident. The Defense Ministry added that full details would not be made public due to the “sensitivity of the information” due to the conflict with Russia.
