Hunting the Bullet Makers: How Law Enforcement is Closing In on Ammunition Factories

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As of February 2026, Ukraine finds itself at the center of a strategic crisis: the complete halt of ammunition production needed to counter massive UAV attacks. The case of Spetsmashkomplekt LLC (also known as Spetsmashproekt) is more than a criminal investigation—it represents the final act of a tragedy that has been unfolding for 12 years.

This is a standard situation where the law enforcement system, unfortunately, acts as a liquidator of a strategic industry to please “favorites” with a political roof.

12 years of patron desert

To understand the depth of the drama, it is necessary to recall history. In 2014, Ukraine lost its only full-fledged ammunition factory in Luhansk. Over the next 12 years, the state, represented by Ukroboronprom and numerous governments, failed to build a single state-owned enterprise of this profile. Billions of budget hryvnias were “absorbed” on projects and promises.

Let us recall at least the deal with Canadian companies GL Munitions Inc. and Waterbury-Farrel in 2021, which never turned into a brick in the factory. Bureaucracy, a complex decision-making procedure, and a reluctance to involve the private sector led to the fact that Ukraine faced a major war empty-handed, relying only on residual Soviet stockpiles and assistance from Lithuania.

It was only in 2022 that private initiative achieved what the state sector could not. Spetsmashkomplekt LLC, using funds from private investors, built a modern production facility for the most scarce calibers—12.7×99 mm (.50 BMG) and 12.7×108 mm. These cartridges are the lifeblood of mobile fire groups that shoot down Shaheeds using Browning M2 and DShK machine guns. The shutdown of this plant in February 2026 effectively erases 12 years of efforts to restore the industry, leaving the country completely reliant on imports, which are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.
How can a factory be shut down in a single day?

On February 12, 2026, the SBU conducted an operation that was more effective for the enemy than any missile attack. Seven searches of management homes and three at production facilities resulted in the seizure of all technical documentation, computers, and digital media.

The plant has been paralyzed since February 13. Without technical specifications (TU), technical sheets, and quality logs, the company physically cannot:
1. Produce new batches of cartridges;
2. Conduct laboratory tests (methods and records removed);
3. Contract with the Defense Procurement Agency (digital signature keys removed).

The consequences were immediate: since February 16, employment contracts with personnel have been suspended. Unique ballistics specialists and rotor line adjusters, of whom there are only a few in Ukraine, were faced with a choice: to go into the trenches like ordinary infantry or to go abroad. Igor Fomenko (“FRU Defense”) warns: if the plant does not start working in a month, these people will disperse forever, and we will lose the industry completely.

SBU as an “expert” in ballistics

SMK officially rejects the accusations made by the investigation as technically illiterate manipulations:

“Mixing of gunpowder”: The investigation calls this “criminal acceleration.” In fact, NATO standard STANAG 4383 directly regulates the procedures for mixing batches to achieve ballistic stability. The plant uses high-quality Czech Explosia gunpowder, with each batch inspected and approved by the Ministry of Defense.

“Lack of annealing of liners”: The SBU claims that the plant saves on heat treatment. This is a technological absurdity: the finished cartridge case does not undergo annealing, as this process is carried out during the intermediate stages of metal processing.

“Microcracks in bullets”: If this were true, the product would not have passed the Department of Defense’s rigorous control tests in December 2025.

The confiscation of documentation, rather than a specific ‘suspicious’ batch, indicates that the objective was not a quality investigation but the complete physical shutdown of the operation.

Selectivity in Ukrainian: “Spetsmash” vs. “Flamin-dichi”

The situation seems particularly cynical given the advantages enjoyed by the favored companies.” While the SBU is “nightmarish” about a real cartridge factory, the Fire Point company, which is associated with businessman Timur Mindich (a partner of the President’s Office), receives billion-dollar contracts. A comparison that explains everything: SMK: Own rotary lines, professional ballistics, strict technical conditions—the result: searches and a stop.

Fire Point: The owners are former film producers and architects; the technology is from “YouTube”; they are involved in the NABU case “Midas.” The company received contracts for 7 billion UAH in November 2024, despite the investigation into price gouging. Moreover, the person involved in the “Mindich films,” Igor Fursenko (“Ryoshik”), was fictitiously employed at Fire Point as a “senior specialist” solely to receive armor from mobilization and the right to travel abroad. This creates a caste of ‘untouchables’ who receive money and protection, while legitimate manufacturers with unique equipment are targeted and destroyed through raids.

Systemic paralysis
On February 12, law enforcement officers shut down the ammunition factory, targeting independent manufacturers in the SMK case. As a result, payment documents are ‘frozen,’ new contracts for 2026 are not being signed, and the front lines are left without ammunition. What is happening to Spetsmashkomplekt LLC appears to be sabotage; the consequences will be felt on the front lines within a few months

Final Killing of the Ammunition Industry: If SMK does not resume operations immediately, Ukraine will lose the last private investment in ammunition of this magnitude.

Personnel degradation: Engineers we have been training for years will go to work at the Polish Mesko or Czech Explosia plants, while we are here “investigating” mythical microcracks.

Exposing the front: Without 12.7 mm ammunition, mobile air defense groups will become mere scenery on the roads, while Russian “Shaheeds” will fly to their targets unhindered.

On February 20, 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office promised to provide an “objective investigation.” However, as of today, the documentation has not been returned, the plant is standing, and every night without a downed drone is on the conscience of those who authorized this pogrom. If the production is not unblocked in the coming weeks, this will become official confirmation of successful sabotage against Ukraine’s defense capabilities, carried out by its own structures in the interests of the enemy.

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