Ukraine stops using faulty ammunition and launches investigation

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had opened an investigation into the use of faulty mortar shells against Russian forces and suspended their use after a scandal emerged in the press.

According to the Ukrainian news site, at least 100,000 Ukrainian-made 120-millimeter (4.7-inch) grenades were removed from the front line Dzerkalo Tyjnia.

Ukrainian war journalist Yuriy Butusov also announced the figure on Sunday and denounced “criminal negligence”.

The announcement came as Ukraine’s depleted troops struggled to contain the advance of larger, better-armed Russian forces in the east of the country.

Soldiers have expressed concern about the faulty grenades since early November, saying the projectiles would not explode, get stuck in the mortar or fall off the target, private Ukrainian television reported 1+1.

The Defense Ministry addressed the reports in a statement on Tuesday, saying it had suspended operations at the front and confiscated some supplies.

The deployment and delivery of the grenades to combat units have been put on hold “until the causes of the malfunction are clarified,” the statement said. Defective ammunition is replaced with imported cartridges.

Authorities had been investigating reports of “unusual gunfire” for about two weeks, but details were considered “sensitive” given the ongoing war, the statement added.

Initial results of the investigation indicate that poor quality powder charges or violations of grenade storage conditions were possible causes, the ministry said.

Since Russia began its invasion nearly three years ago, Ukraine, which relies on Western military aid, has significantly increased its domestic arms production.

president Volodymyr Zelensky Last week he told parliament that his war-torn country had produced more than 2.5 million mortar and artillery shells in calibers ranging from 60 to 155 millimeters.

“We’re increasing that production,” he said.