Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned amid a scandal over a 70-million Euros ammunition deal which is meant to support Ukraine.According to reports, Pevkur resigned saying that he was taking responsibility…

Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned amid a scandal over a 70-million Euros ammunition deal which is meant to support Ukraine.According to reports, Pevkur resigned saying that he was taking responsibility for the deal after a critical report by the Naional Audit Office of Estonia.In a post on X, the Ministry of Defense, Estonia confirmed his exit saying, “Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned. Thank you for leading Estonia’s national defence and for your steadfast support for Ukraine. Hanno Pevkur served as Minister of Defence from 18 July 2022.””During this time, Europe’s security environment has changed significantly, and Estonia’s national defence has undergone a profound transformation. Just one example: our defence spending has risen from 2% to more than 5% of GDP,” the post further read.Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has resigned.Thank you for leading Estonia’s national defence and for your steadfast support for Ukraine.Hanno Pevkur served as Minister of Defence from 18 July 2022.During this time, Europe’s security environment has changed significantly, and… pic.twitter.com/3SbelE64Yk— MoD Estonia (@MoD_Estonia) September 2, 2026

The scandal dates back to the contracts signed in 2024 by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments. The contracts were awarded to Datasel SRL – an Italian firm which was acquires by India-based Neco Defence Munitions in 2024.Estonia paid around 70 million euros from the EU funds to secure artillery shells for Ukraine when it was facing a severe shortage of ammunition during its war with Russia.But, Estonian authorities have raised concerns about the procurement. Neither Datasel nor Neco had previous records of manufacturing or supplying artillery shells, after which, the Estonian authorities of the procurement agency terminated the contract in 2025.Estonia began legal proceedings to recover the money and even opened a criminal investigation into the process.Neco and Datasel rejected the allegations of failure in quality of the ammunition and argued that the issue was linked to changes in European regulations and funding arrangements.The company asserted that it had delivered goods worth 58 million euros after it received 59 million euros through advanced payments.

Source: Deccan Herald