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Hanno Pevkur Resigns as Estonia's Defence Minister Following Artillery Shell Scandal

Hanno Pevkur has resigned from his position as Estonia's Defence Minister. The resignation follows a scandal involving the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine using funds from the European Union’s European Peace Facility. Estonia paid approximately €70 million in advance payments to Datasel SRL, an Italian firm owned by the Nagpur-based Neco Group. At the time of the contracts, neither Datasel nor its parent company had a previous track record of producing the artillery shells they were tasked to supply. The ammunition deliveries were delayed, and Estonia claims that some of the shells that did arrive failed to meet required standards. While the Estonian government has cancelled the contracts and initiated a court case in Strasbourg, Datasel SRL has disputed the termination, claiming it had supplied €58 million worth of material and that no quality issues were established. The European Commission is currently investigating whether Estonia must return the €70 million of EU funds. The National Audit Office of Estonia has criticized the country's defence spending and military procurement agency.

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