Plant has replaced 10% of scandalous mines. Gunpowder is now soaked in water for 10 hours - Smetanin
In recent months, there have been three incidents involving malfunctioning of 120- and 82-calibre mines of domestic production.
This was announced by the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Herman Smetanin at a briefing on Monday, Censor.NET reports.
According to him, two cases were widely reported in the media, and one was detected by the Ministry of Defence and quickly resolved through joint efforts with the Ministry of Strategic Industries.
How did the ministry address the problem, and how is the situation with the mines being resolved now?
According to Smetanin, the plant has so far delivered more than 30 new mines from the new batch. And it has replaced 10% of the mines that were seized (we are talking about 24,000 120mm mines).
The diameter of each mine is checked during replacement.
The outer diameter of the mine did not match the declared size; it was slightly smaller, allowing powder gases to escape between the mine and the mortar barrel. We have now implemented 100% quality control at the enterprise, focusing on the outer diameter and the shank diameter to ensure they are neither larger nor smaller," Smetanin said.
The minister also stated that one of the causes of the mines' failure was a change in the powder's properties.
"We conducted laboratory analysis and found that the powder had the wrong moisture content. What caused this? Primarily poor packaging," Smetanin noted.
According to the minister, the packaging has now been changed.
"It is currently being tested by soaking it in water for 10 hours," the minister added.
Additionally, the projectile has undergone extra varnishing
Earlier, the Command of the Logistics Forces (CLF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the soldiers of the 151st Separate Mechanised Brigade did not receive low-quality mines.
According to Volodymyr Hrebeniuk, a representative of CLF, mines from the scandalous Ukrainian plant were not supplied to the brigade at all.
Faulty mines supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On November 6, 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 Yuliia 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 recalled from the frontline.
On December 6, 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 mines to the quality of imported gunpowder.
On December 31, it became known that low-quality mines had appeared in the units in the Vremivka direction, near Velyka Novosilka.
On January 9, 2025, Butusov stated that after the publication of the article about the faulty mines, the 151st Brigade received quality ammunition.