Supply of defective mines: Ministry of Defence ignored problems and sent ammunition to frontline - media

ЗСУ поставили браковані міни 120-мм: до чого тут Міноборони?

Following the publicity about the supply of low-quality mines to the frontline, the Ministry of Defence ordered the removal of all low-quality mines that either did not reach the enemy or did not explode at all.

This was written by journalist Yurii Nikolov in his article on ZN.ua, Censor.NET reports.

It is about the recall of 100,000 mines, which would be enough for six months of economical consumption. Thus, the 120-mm mine will appear in the military only in a month or two, most likely imported.

In 2023, when personal income tax was transferred from local budgets to the state budget, UAH 43 billion was planned to increase weapons production in Ukraine, namely for "Ukroboronprom" enterprises. This is not about increasing the procurement of weapons, but rather about increasing the capacity of the factories to produce them.

According to Nikolov, in the winter of 2023-2024, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Strategic Industries held meetings on this issue. On 6 February 2024, the Ministry of Defence considered the conclusion of a contract between the Defence Procurement Agency and Defence Plant X (the name of the company is not disclosed for security reasons - Ed.)

"The head of the Central Directorate for Coordination of Foreign Economic Activity of the Ministry of Defence, Major General Yevhen Zamotaev, argued for the need to implement the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Office and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine to immediately conclude contracts for the supply of ammunition primarily with a domestic manufacturer, which was proposed by the DPA. Yevhen Kurbet, head of the Ministry of Defence's Department of State Quality Assurance, who was present at the meeting, did not object to increasing contracts with Plant X. Therefore, the meeting decided to recommend that the DPA develop draft contracts with the plant for various types of ammunition. Including for the supply of 300,000 120-mm mortar rounds with the possibility of increasing the volume to 370,000.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, but then the responsible persons hacked their own system of fuses against low-quality goods so that the "margin" would be kept by Kamyshyn's department,’ the article says.

Thus, in January 2024, the military representative office of the Ministry of Defence checked the ability of Plant X to produce mines, aerial bombs and artillery shells of various calibres.

The military representative (a representative of the Main Directorate for Technical Evaluation and Quality Control of Weapons and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine) pointed out the following risks:

supply of powders and explosives;
training of qualified personnel, production facilities and additional technological equipment;
continuous operation of personnel and power supply.

Also, according to the military commander, the M-12 fuze (a part on the mine head that is responsible for the final explosion upon impact) was not mastered. Despite the fact that the plant already had the technical specifications for it.

However, the military representative later signed a positive conclusion: "The enterprise as a whole is able to ensure the performance of work on the manufacture and supply of products in the following volumes...". As for 120-mm mines, it was stated that the plant could produce 300,000 pieces per year, taking into account the workload.

Before signing the contract, the Defence Procurement Agency decided to check with the military representatives whether the company could produce the promised amount. After all, the plant's facilities had already been hit by Russian missiles. On 9 February, DPA received an even better conclusion from the military representative - given the plant's workload, it could produce 670,000 mines a year. Therefore, on 14 February, a large contract for the supply of 120mm mines was signed with the plant.

Later, the DPA asked for another assessment of the plant's capabilities. It received assurances from the military representatives that an additional inspection was not needed, as it had been inspected in 2023. The report disappeared the risks regarding production space and qualified personnel and the mention of the lack of serial production of the M-12 fuze. According to Nikolov, the disappearance of the mention of the fuses was one of the components of the disaster.

"All these reports were put on the table of the leadership of the Ministry of Defence. Umerov couldn't help but notice the inadequate assessment of the plant's capabilities by his subordinates, but he didn't pay attention to it. Either he did not want to report to Zelenskyy about the unrealistic nature of his powerful ambitions. Or he did not want to give up the development of billions of dollars in revenue together with Kamyshin, one of the few irreplaceable managers of our time, according to Bankova.

The first 120mm mines from Plant X went to the front in June. There were no major problems with them at the time. Then there was a break for a couple of months, and in September the plant continued deliveries. That's when the problems started," the journalist said.

From 18 September to 10 November, there was shooting.

What problems with mines were identified

mines deviated from the aiming point by 100-600 metres in range;
mines failed to exit the mortar barrel;
mines did not explode in the target;
mines fell on the flight path at a distance of 10-150 metres from the mortar;
when changing the sight, the mine incorrectly changed its range;
isolated cases of the metal part of the mine not coming out of the tube, and powder burning in the barrel.

According to Nikolov, the military representative did not record these problems in any way. Moreover, it is not known how many and what kind of mines he checked before being sent to the front.