RT reported that the Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after the frontline army received a shipment of mortar guns.
This issue was first revealed by Mr. Yury Butusov, editor-in-chief of the famous news website Censor.net. He said in early November that soldiers from different units had complained about many 120 mm bullets from the newly received shipment not being explosive or unable to fly further than 50 meters. Some shells were believed to be stuck in mortar tubes.
Butusov posted a video recording a soldier trying to fire one of the defective shells.
Butusov quoted the soldier as saying that the problem appeared to be due to the low quality of gunpowder used in the shells.
According to the journalist, the defective shells were manufactured in Ukraine. "This is a serious systemic problem," he said.
On November 26, Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya sounded the alarm, claiming that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had sent 100,000 defective shells to the front line. She blamed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, accusing him of spending his time on "PR tricks with presentations and handshakes."
Another outspoken member of the Ukrainian parliament, Aleksey Goncharenko, also posted more videos of soldiers handling seemingly 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 function properly.
"I cannot disclose details, but it is clear that the main reason is the drop in temperature and higher humidity. These shells functioned well in dry weather," he said.
Venislavsky said the defective shells had since been recalled. However, he declined to disclose the exact figure.
On November 26, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that the preliminary investigation showed that "low-quality firecrackers or violations of ammunition storage conditions" could be the reason for the incident. The Defense Ministry added that full details will be made public due to " sensitivity of information" due to the conflict with Russia.
