Defense Express explains cause of low-quality mines received by Ukrainian army

Oleh Katkov, the editor-in-chief of Defense Express, explained on Espreso TV that the issue wasn't with the mortar shells themselves, but with the explosive charges.

"The Ministry of Defense has officially stated that the problem wasn't with the batch of mines sent to the front," Katkov said. "The issue lies with the explosive charges used to launch the mines. These charges, which are a critical part of the ammunition, had defects. The reason for this is still being investigated, but it's possible the charges became damp or were stored incorrectly. We’ve heard that the batch has been seized and sent back to the manufacturer, who is responsible for replacing it and ensuring this doesn’t happen again."

The expert emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces receive high-quality mines, and the issue with the defective batch has been resolved. According to him, the low-quality explosive charges were simply replaced with foreign-made ones, and the mines are now functioning properly at the front.

"Ukraine doesn't only use domestically produced mines," he explained. "The Ukrainian Armed Forces now have mines in which the faulty explosive charges have been replaced with foreign ones, and everything is working as it should. This information is available in open sources. Therefore, in my opinion, the issue with the supply of low-quality mines has now been resolved."

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