Today, there is no alternative to Molot mortars for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Pavlo Bukin, CEO of Ukraine's state-owned arms manufacturer Ukrboronprom.
"In any case, we had to produce them and use them in Ukraine's Armed Forces," Bukin told 112 Ukraine TV channel.
The CEO also said, only after the investigation has been completed can conclusions be made on whether it was the flawed mortar that should be blamed for the deadly incident at a Rivne region's training ground.
Read alsoViolation of safety rules behind incident at Rivne training ground – Ukraine Def. Ministry
As UNIAN reported, a mortar blew up at about 06:00 Kyiv time on July 6 amid military drills at Ukraine's Rivne training ground, as a result of which three Ukrainian troops were killed and nine others received injuries of varying severity.
According to a preliminary version of the incident voiced by the Ministry of Defense, it was violation of arms handling regulations that caused the tragedy.
Following the incident, President Petro Poroshenko banned further use of Molot mortars in live fire training sessions pending the investigation.
