Estonian defence minister resigns after €70m Ukraine munitions scam by Indian company: report
What the source reports
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned following a scandal in which he authorised the payment of €70 million to an Indian company for artillery shells, only to receive ammunition of defective quality, it emerged on Thursday. Britain’s The Telegraph reported on Monday that Datasel SRL was contracted to produce the shells for use by the Ukrainian military against Russia, and that Datasel had “not previously produced or sold a single shell”.
The newspaper says that Estonia made the payment from the EU military fund in August 2024 to send munitions to Ukraine’s front line by November that year. “The Indian-run, Italy-based company repeatedly delayed delivery. When a shipment was eventually inspected in 2025, the rounds were found to be faulty and none were sent to Ukraine,” The Telegraph reported. “The scandal is an embarrassment for Estonia, which has increased its military spending because it could be Nato’s first line of defence against a Russian attack. ”…
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