Scandal over substandard ammunition supplies continues in Estonia

A scandal over substandard ammunition supplied to Estonia by the company Datasel continues to unfold, with new details suggesting the problems were far from unforeseen.

Anastasija Kovaļenko-Kelvarte, who chairs a special parliamentary committee on corruption prevention in Estonia, has stated that the country's Defence Ministry was already aware of potential risks two years before the scandal broke. These risks were directly tied to the decision to sign a contract with Datasel for the procurement of ammunition.

Scale of the contract

The ammunition supply contract in question was valued at approximately €70 million, representing a significant portion of the state's defence procurement spending. The fact that the responsible ministry had reportedly been informed of possible problems beforehand, yet proceeded to sign the contract anyway, has become a central focus of the parliamentary committee's inquiry.

The committee chair's statement indicates that the investigation into the ammunition quality issues and possible accountability is ongoing. Its aim is to determine why the contract was signed despite the known risks. The scandal remains a live issue in Estonia's public and political discourse, as the committee continues its work to clarify how the decision-making process unfolded within the Defence Ministry.