"Pavlohrad Chemical Plant", which had supplied defective mines to Defence Forces, again received state order worth 59 billion hryvnia, - Siumar. DOCUMENT
The company that had supplied defective mines to the frontline again received a state order worth UAH 59 billion.
This was reported by MP from the "European Solidarity" faction, Viktoriia Siumar, citing the official response of the Defence Procurement Agency, Censor.NET reports, citing the press centre of the "European Solidarity".
"About six months ago, I received a flurry of calls from my acquaintances from the frontline about the disaster with defective mines. The guys were calling saying that out of 10 mines, a maximum of 2 explode, and this is a disaster... And now I have received a response from the head of the DPA Zhumadilov regarding new contracts for the supply of ammunition. And do you know what? UAH 59 billion was again given to the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, the very company against which there are a lot of criminal cases and whose head was suspected by the SSU for supplying low-quality mines," the MP recalled.
"I don't know how many lives this 'defect' cost us... But I know that the supply of defective mines became possible due to problems in the military acceptance system. And when these problems have not yet been resolved, when there are suspicions, because the damage to the state's defence capability is obvious, when Ukrainians ultimately pay for such things with their lives, the state of Ukraine orders an astronomical 60 billion worth of ammunition from the same company," Siumar was outraged.
"Someone might say that they are monopolists, but surely the story of the mines should have taught us to diversify risks and buy from partners in parallel. I have to emphasise that the total budget of the DPA for arms procurement for the year is 370 billion, and 60 of it goes to the compromised company in the first months of the year (although I fully assume that this company is capable of making high-qualitative drops, etc., but the amount is much smaller) Why? My sources close to the leadership of the Ministry of Defence hint that these companies are lobbying from the top, and there is only one body in our country that is above, and it is not the Cabinet of Ministers," states Siumar.
"Yes, it's a lot of money. But the price here is much higher - in the country's ability to defend itself. And it is measured in lives. That is why I believe that attention to this topic is important. And control. And the new system for receiving military goods is also critically important," the MP is convinced.
"The ineffectiveness of the state here means very poor prospects in a terrible war of attrition with Russia, and corruption here kills, and this is not pathos or a figure of speech," sums up Siumar.
The case of supplying defective mines to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On 29 April 2025, the SSU detained the heads of a defence plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region that supplied defective mines to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On 30 April, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv arrested the former head of one of the military representative offices of the Ministry of Defence, Mykhailo Shkurenko, and the head of the control group, Yurii Yaresko, without alternative bail. The court also remanded Leonid Shyman, director of the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant, in custody for two months without bail.
Defective mines supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On 6 November 2024, it was reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine received a low-quality batch of 120 mm mines manufactured by Ukroboronprom.
On 20 November, a video of mines manufactured by "Ukroboronprom" malfunctioning was released.
The Ministry of Defence said it was investigating the situation.
Also, journalist Yulia Kyrienko-Merinova said that after the situation with the low-quality 120mm mortar shells was publicised, a batch of 82mm mortar rounds, which also turned out to be defective, was withdrawn from the frontline.
On 6 December, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Herman Smetanin told the Verkhovna Rada that out of millions of mines produced, the military had recorded only 417 cases of malfunction. Smetanin attributed the problems with the mines to the quality of imported gunpowder.
On 31 December, it became known that low-quality mines had appeared in the units in the Vremivsk direction, near Velyka Novosilka.
On 9 January 2025, Butusov said that after the publication of the article about the defective mines, the 151st Brigade received quality ammunition.
The Command of the Logistics Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the soldiers of the 151st separate mechanised brigade did not receive low-quality mines.
