A loud scandal broke out in Estonia over ammunition for Ukraine: the Minister of Defense resigned
фото: REUTERS
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced his resignation after a scandal over the purchase of artillery ammunition for Ukraine. The Estonian State Defense Investment Center (RKIK) transferred a 70 million euro advance to the company, but the delivery of the shells never took place.
This is reported by DW .
The scandal was caused by a deal between RKIK and Datasel SRL, to which Estonia transferred 70 million euros for ammunition for Ukraine. According to the investigation, the company had no experience selling artillery shells before the contract was signed, and the delivery did not take place after receiving the advance payment.
The Estonian side has filed a lawsuit over the contract’s non-fulfillment. The country’s State Audit Office has also found irregularities in the work of RKIK, including non-transparent selection of contractors, insufficient supplier due diligence, and problems with accounting in the defense sector.
Amid the scandal, Hanno Pevkur stated that he was ready to take political responsibility for the situation and leave his position.
“I am ready to take on this responsibility, I accept it, and the prime minister must find a new defense minister,” Pevkur said.
At the same time, he emphasized that the Minister of Defense does not directly negotiate contracts or search for suppliers.
“The Minister of Defense makes a fundamental decision to support Ukraine. Preparatory work for negotiations on contracts and the search for counterparties is the task of RKIK,” Pevkur noted.
According to Pevkur, he did not personally read the contracts that RKIK submitted to him for approval. At the same time, former head of RKIK Magnus-Waldemar Saar stated that important decisions were not made without the knowledge of the ministry’s leadership.
Pevkur has served as Estonia’s defense minister since 2022. His resignation must be approved by the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu. He will continue to serve as defense minister until the fall session of parliament, which begins on September 14.
Recall that a political dispute arose in Bulgaria after the Ministry of Defense’s statements about searching for MiG-29 aircraft for spare parts . Opposition representatives called for abandoning Soviet aviation and continuing the modernization of the air force based on Western fighters.
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