Estonian Defense Minister Resigns Due to Ammunition Procurement Scandal

According to a report by Reference News Network on September 6, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported on September 3 that Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced his resignation following the exposure of a scandal involving ammunition procurement for Ukraine.

Pevkur has served as Defense Minister since 2022. In an interview with Estonian television, he stated that he would take political responsibility for the deficiencies in financial management within the defense sector.

On the 2nd, Pevkur said, “The Prime Minister will have to look for a new Defense Minister.”

The minister is a member of the ruling party, the Reform Party, led by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

He wrote on Facebook, “I announce my resignation, but I firmly believe that we have made the right decisions to strengthen our defense. Estonia is safer than ever before.”

Pevkur faced immense public pressure after the Estonian National Audit Office discovered numerous serious issues within the agencies under the Ministry of Defense.

Auditors pointed out that these management deficiencies increased the risk of misuse of national funds and assets. Similar issues had been identified a year ago. The scandal involving the procurement of weapons for Ukraine further intensified the controversy.

Estonia made an advance payment of 70 million euros to an Indian company for the procurement of artillery shells, despite the fact that the Indian company had no prior experience in ammunition sales. As of now, neither Estonia nor Ukraine has received this batch of ammunition, and the related dispute has entered judicial proceedings. (Translated by Zhang Lin)