Ukraine's military woes: Faulty weapons and corruption revealed
The scandal involving faulty mortar ammunition is not the only issue of this nature that Ukrainian authorities, especially soldiers on the front lines, must address. For years, they have received equipment unsuitable for combat or field fortifications that quickly fell into disrepair.
At the end of November 2024, Ukrainian media uncovered a significant scandal concerning 120 mm mortar shells. According to Ukrainian sources, as many as 100,000 shells supplied by a factory within the Ukroboronprom conglomerate are unfit for use. Ukrainians claim this stockpile is enough for six months of warfare.
Faulty mortar shells are not the only challenge the Ukrainian army faces. Since the war began, it has encountered various scandals related to military supplies and corruption linked to military recruitment.
The aid reaching Ukraine does not always include weaponry that Ukraine can use to defend its independence. Sometimes, it is equipment entirely unsuitable for combat.
Faulty weapons for Ukraine
An example of this is the scandal surrounding one of the early batches of German military aid to Ukraine, initially reported not by Kyiv, but by the German media. Issues with anti-aircraft missiles were reported by "Der Spiegel".
The issue involved a batch of 2,700 MANPADS 9K32 Strela-2 – anti-aircraft, handheld missile launchers developed in the 1960s. They ended up in German warehouses after the country's reunification in 1990. After 30 years, when they were retrieved, some were no longer fit for use – according to "Spiegel", a quarter of the 2,700 "Strelas" were faulty.
Tanks unfit for battle
Another problem – this time with Leopard 1 tanks – was publicised by Ukraine itself in 2023. Kyiv refused to accept a batch of 16 tanks provided by Denmark, stating they were so worn out that they were unfit for combat.
The refusal to accept the worn-out equipment was explained by its poor condition and the lack of spare parts and maintenance facilities needed to restore the vehicles' combat capabilities. At that time, Poland undertook the task of refurbishing the tanks.
The Danish broadcaster DR publicised a similar situation in May 2024 – a batch of Leopard 1 tanks, delivered collectively by Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, turned out to be unfit for combat.
The Danish Ministry of Defence's report disclosed that the tanks sent to Ukraine had malfunctioning ballistic computers, preventing accurate shooting, and non-functional electrical and hydraulic systems, affecting turret rotation. The scandal was larger because, according to documentation, some of the tanks had been refurbished before being sent to Ukraine.
Bulgaria also deliberately handed over non–functional equipment to Ukraine. Sofia decided to provide an unspecified number of anti-aircraft missiles for the S-300 system, stating that they were faulty and that Bulgaria lacked the means to restore their functionality on its own.
Old equipment can also be valuable
A separate issue is the usefulness of weapons provided to Ukraine, even when technically functional. While any aid can be valuable during the war, the equipment supplied to Ukraine is rarely modern.
Often, it consists of vehicles that were withdrawn and then retrieved from previous generations, such as lightly armoured reconnaissance AMX-10RC, whose misuse led to significant losses in mid-2023.
On the other hand, old equipment that does not meet current standards can still be valuable support, as exemplified by RPG-76 Komar grenade launchers provided by Poland. Polish soldiers could not use this weapon not because it was unfit but due to regulations (the issue was the lack of a self-destruct mechanism). This weapon, formally unusable in Poland, was fully functional for Ukraine.
It is worth noting that foreign equipment is not the only debated support for Ukraine. A good example is Greece, which, under the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program, was supposed to receive – in exchange for infrastructural support for the US army and aid for Ukraine – among other things, M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
The Greek army refused to accept the vehicles offered to them because they were in such poor technical condition that – according to Greece's defence minister Nikos Dendias – the cost of refurbishment would have been comparable to buying new equipment.
Corruption and embezzlement
Issues also occur on the Ukrainian side. Alongside corruption scandals, inflated prices for military products, or supplies that do not match specifications (e.g., summer jackets instead of winter ones), a substantial scandal involved the embezzlement of funds by the company Lviv Arsenal, which was supposed to deliver 100,000 hand grenades. As revealed by an investigation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) at the beginning of 2024, the weapons were never delivered.
In September 2024, Ukrainian media, including "Czas Czernichowa," exposed another scandal. Fortifications built with great effort and cost, which were supposed to ensure Ukraine's defence against a Russian attack from the north, were in ruins.
They were constructed with improper materials, and no one maintained them despite their critical importance to the region's security. The acting mayor of Chernihiv accused the head of the military administration of "improving the well-being of himself and his administration, allocating land, and granting shocking bonuses."
