New scandal over mine procurement by the Defence Procurement Agency

A new scandal is brewing around the Defence Procurement Agency. Marina Bezrukova, the head of the agency, signed a contract for the supply of hundreds of thousands of old anti-tank mines of questionable quality at a price of 600 euros per unit. This was reported by military commentator Serhiy Zhyruts.

According to Soviet standards, the shelf life of the TNT in such mines does not exceed 60 years under ideal storage conditions, while under American standards it is only 35 years. Nevertheless, the M6A2 mine contains 5.4 kg of TNT, and, judging by current market prices, the cost of such a mine should not exceed a few hundred euros. However, 600 euros is clearly an inflated price. Moreover, in several countries, outdated mines of this production are subject to disposal, and significant sums are paid for this service, as storing such munitions is extremely dangerous.

On its official Facebook page, the Defence Procurement Agency stated that the final cost of the contract may be reviewed after an inspection and testing of the goods. However, the terms of the already signed contract do not contain a single clause regarding a possible price review.

The question arises as to how many tens of millions of euros the participants in this scheme will earn. The contract signed by the Agency with a dubious Bulgarian intermediary is valued at 230 million euros, and it is likely that a significant portion of these funds will end up in the pockets of those who stood behind this dubious agreement.