On detention of defense plant executives
According to Censor.NET sources, today officers of the Security Service of Ukraine detained the Director General of a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Strategic Industries, Technical Director, as well as two military officers — heads of military acceptance — over the supply of 120,000 faulty mortar shells to the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine).
The criminal case was initiated on the basis of materials published by Censor.NET, in which we showed video evidence of large-scale deliveries of faulty mortar shells produced by this state-owned enterprise to the military in 2024 and revealed facts about the scope of the defects.
In 2024, this state enterprise received approximately 28 billion UAH from the state budget for the production and delivery of 122 mm artillery shells and 120 mm and 82 mm mortar shells. A capability certificate was signed by the enterprise’s management and military acceptance officials, despite the enterprise lacking the actual capacity to produce them. The production process was not provided with the necessary components — and this was known.
As a result, for an extended period, the allocated funds remained in the company’s accounts. However, the 122 mm shells failed to pass testing, and the funds were eventually returned to the Ministry of Defense at the end of the year. In the case of mortar shells production, however, a serious crime was committed — in order to avoid returning the money, the enterprise and the Ministry of Strategic Industries sent faulty mortar shells to the military. Out of 247,000 rounds delivered, 120,000 were officially recognized as defective, according to sources familiar with the case. In reality, nearly all of them were faulty, but many commanders chose not to file complaints, fearing disciplinary action for criticisms.
After mortar crews contacted Censor.NET and provided video footage of live-fire exercises with defective rounds, we published a series of reports that drew widespread public attention. Following these publications, the SSU's (Security Service of Ukraine) Main Investigative Department opened criminal proceedings under Article 114-1 for the delivery of substandard ammunition, and the Armed Forces launched an internal investigation.The SSU’s investigative efforts have led to today’s significant and high-profile developments.
It is important to acknowledge the commanders of military units who acted with integrity by filing defect reports and returning the faulty mortar shells to storage depots.
Notably, the contract for the production of these faulty mortal shells, despite the lack of quality components, was signed under direct instructions and pressure from former Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin and current Minister Herman Smetanin.
At this time, their legal status in the case remains unclear, although they were the ones responsible for key decisions.
It was Kamyshin who delivered this misinformation to the country’s leadership, and decisions were made based on it.
Following this, without any written justification of production capacity, the contracts were concluded by Marina Bezrukova, Head of the Defense Procurement Agency at the Ministry of Defense, and the funds were transferred.
To be objective, after the defective supplies were exposed, Bezrukova initiated an internal review, acknowledged the presence of defective products and the false information provided by the enterprise and the Ministry of Strategic Industries, and did not attempt to cover up the scheme.
We will continue to monitor this case. I call on all service members: do not be afraid to report cases of defective supplies being delivered to the military — it is the only way change can happen.
And for all officials receiving tens of billions for unbacked projects, this is a clear signal — not everything, and not for everyone, goes without consequences.
