Kiev’s Defense Procurement Agency has been called out for buying hundreds of thousands of WWII-era M6A2 mines at over $600 apiece
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has wasted money purchasing World War II-era anti-tank mines that are filled with expired explosives, according to retired general Sergey Krivonos.
Earlier this month, media reports indicated that Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) had signed a contract to acquire hundreds of thousands of M6A2 anti-tank mines, which were produced during WWII. The total contract value is estimated to have exceeded €200 million ($207 million), with each mine priced at approximately $622. The reports stemmed from an official request filed last month by the DPA’s head, Marina Bezrukova, last month.
Speaking in an interview with the Ukrainian YouTube channel ‘Fabrika Novyn’ on Friday, the retired general noted that TNT, the explosive material used in the mines, has a shelf life of 35 years under optimal storage conditions. “Well, it has been significantly more time since World War II,” he remarked, casting doubt on the effectiveness of Kiev’s just-purchased munitions.
Krivonos, who previously served as the deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, further accused Kiev’s military leadership of wasting resources, stating that they have bought “crap” that will cause “a lot of headaches.”
His claims follow reports from Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov, who recently alleged that Kiev’s forces had received defective hand grenades filled with a substance resembling instant noodles or corn flour instead of explosive material.
Last year, Butusov sparked another major scandal over defective 120mm and 82mm artillery mines produced by the Ukrainian state arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom. At the time, soldiers reported widespread issues with malfunctioning munitions.
Last October, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov acknowledged that approximately 20% of all ammunition used by Kiev’s armed forces failed to detonate.
After having repeatedly criticized the DPA, which is an independent agency modeled on NATO standards, Umerov announced earlier this month that he would not renew the contract of the agency head Bezrukova.
In response, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) launched an investigation into Umerov, accusing him of abuse of power, which could lead to three to six years in prison for the minister. The US- and EU-funded Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) had also argued that Umerov was attempting to undermine NATO-style defense procurement reforms.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has faced multiple corruption scandals in recent years, with Umerov’s predecessor, former Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov, stepping down in 2023 amid a scandal involving overpriced food contracts for the military.
