A chemical plant in Pavlohrad knowingly supplied more than 233,000 defective mines
The investigation into the supply of substandard mines to the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been completed. According to the SBU, the Pavlohrad Chemical Plant intentionally supplied the military with over 233,000 rounds of ammunition that turned out to be unserviceable.
This was stated by Andriy Shvets, head of the SBU’s Main Investigation Department, in an interview with Censor.NET.
"The indictment against the former CEO of the state-owned enterprise Pavlohrad Chemical Plant and his deputy has been sent to court for consideration. During the investigation into the criminal proceedings regarding obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it was established that they intentionally supplied over 233,000 unusable mines. Specifically, 100,000 82-millimeter mortar rounds and nearly 133,000 120-millimeter mortar rounds, causing 3.3 billion hryvnias in damages to the state," he said.
According to Shvets, it was also established that, among other things, the substandard and untimely supply of mortar rounds was carried out with the aim of obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"According to the forensic examination conducted, the use of the aforementioned propellants led to the unstable performance of the propellant charge as a whole, and as a result—the inability to use the mortar rounds for their intended purpose by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In fact, aware of the missed delivery deadlines for the first batches of mines intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in August 2024, the CEO and his deputy forged a company order to halt production, allegedly due to damage caused by rocket and drone strikes from the aggressor country, which was not true. "Subsequently, the suspects used the forged order to obtain certificates from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and to extend the validity of state contracts concluded with the State Enterprise of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine 'Defense Procurement Agency,' which in turn allowed the State Enterprise 'PKhZ' to avoid penalties under state contracts," he explained.
The investigation is also examining the possibility of a financial motive behind the criminal offense.
"A pre-trial investigation is currently underway regarding the possible overpricing of certain brands of gunpowder produced by a U.S. company and sold to a UK-based company," Shvets added.
During the investigation, investigators seized 480 120-millimeter rounds and 70 82-millimeter mortar rounds, which were subsequently sent for expert examination.
"The mortar rounds returned after examination were recognized as physical evidence and transferred to secure storage. A decision regarding the disposition of this physical evidence will be made by the court when the verdict is handed down in the case.
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