Ukraine to impose fines on suppliers of defective ammunition

Ukraine has introduced a new measure that will fine suppliers of defective ammunition, in an effort to address the issue of substandard military supplies, which have reportedly contributed to increased casualties among Ukrainian forces.

Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Budget, Roksolana Pidlasa, announced the move on her official Facebook page, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

According to the newly introduced provisions in Ukraine's budget code, suppliers who deliver substandard ammunition will be fined 20 per cent of the weapon's total value. Additionally, delays in the delivery of military supplies will incur daily penalties of 0.1 per cent of the total order value. If delays exceed 30 days, the fine will increase by an additional 7 per cent of the order's value.

The decision comes after Maria Berlinskaya, the founder of Ukraine's Center for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, highlighted that faulty ammunition has significantly contributed to the growing number of casualties within the Ukrainian military. Berlinskaya explained that poor-quality munitions have been responsible for much of the military's losses in recent months.

In a September report, Handelsblatt, a German newspaper, revealed that ammunition supplied by both the Czech Republic and the United States had been found to be faulty. The malfunction was traced to outdated detonators, M515 and M51A5, developed during World War II. According to the report, five out of every 10,000 shells supplied by the Czech Republic were defective.

The White House had previously announced the provision of hundreds of thousands of shells and military equipment to Ukraine to support its defence efforts. However, the discovery of defective ammunition has raised concerns over the quality and reliability of some of these supplies.

With this new policy in place, Ukraine aims to ensure that suppliers are held accountable for delivering the necessary quality and timely shipments of ammunition, thus safeguarding the effectiveness of its armed forces on the frontlines.

By Vafa Guliyeva