Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned from his post. He took this decision after the ammunition deal worth 70 million euros (about ₹ 768.50 crores) made to help Ukraine did not go through.
This matter came into limelight when an Indian-owned company was included in this deal, which had no previous record of selling artillery shells.
pevkur from 2022 estonia He held the post of Defense Minister. While announcing his resignation on Wednesday, he said that he is taking the responsibility of this defense deal.
How did the affair begin?
This case is related to the deal made in 2024, which was done by the Center for Defense Investments of Estonia with a company named Datasel SRL. This Datasel was registered in Italy, which was purchased by Neco Defense Munitions of India in the same year.
The purpose of this deal ukraine Artillery shells were to be provided for. The Estonian government has been a strong supporter of Ukraine. At that time Ukraine was facing a severe shortage of ammunition.
Estonia used funds from the European Union’s European Peace Facility for this purchase. During this period, a huge amount was paid to the company in advance.
The ammunition was expected to reach Ukraine within a few months, but deliveries were repeatedly delayed due to alleged production problems. When the ammunition was finally received in 2025, questions were raised about its quality.
The director of Estonia’s Center for Defense Investments said that this deal should not have been done. He said, ‘In my opinion we should not have dealt with them. If I start building a house and hire a company that has never built a house before, it is natural to have doubts that it will not be able to complete the house.
However, the Defense Minister defended the division of responsibilities within the ministry. He said that the Defense Minister does not personally monitor every defense deal.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal also said she did not see Pevkur’s personal fault. Despite this, political responsibility can be fixed. After resigning, Pevkur said that his resignation is with the belief that Estonia has taken the right decisions to strengthen its national defense.
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