Estonian defense minister resigns after shell procurement scandal for Ukraine

03.09.2026, 13:48 rubryka.com

The minister said he is responsible for the entire sector under his ministry's authority. According to him, a leader must have sufficient authority and courage to take political responsibility even when there is no personal fault.

Pevkur stressed that such a decision can be justified if it serves a broader goal: protecting the country.

At the same time as the interview, Pevkur published a post on social media. In it, he stressed that the National Audit Office's comments on the work of the Estonian Defense Forces and the Estonian Center for Defense Investments were serious enough to raise the issue of political responsibility.

"I do this with the firm conviction that we have made the right decisions to strengthen national defense. Estonia is better protected than ever before," the minister added.

Pevkur also thanked the Estonian Defense Forces and the Estonian Defense League, civil servants, representatives of the defense industry, and allies.

Separately, he thanked European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal for inviting him to serve as defense minister in their governments. Pevkur had led Estonia's Defense Ministry since 2022.

Ammunition procurement for Ukraine

Pevkur's decision to resign became known on the same day information emerged about Estonia's attempt to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine. According to the reports, the country paid a total of 70 million euros in advance to Indian companies that had not previously sold a single artillery shell.

Magnus-Valdemar Saar, then head of the Estonian Center for Defense Investments, or RKIK, said he had not made any major decisions without the approval of the Defense Ministry's leadership.

According to him, in addition to Pevkur, then-Defense Ministry Chancellor Kusti Salm also knew about the case during negotiations on the first contract. Later, his successor, Kaimo Kuusk, was informed about the situation.

Pevkur said on Aktuaalne kaamera that he had indeed not read the contracts, but confirmed that RKIK had sent him the relevant documents.

According to the minister, the head of the Defense Ministry is not responsible for processing every detail of contracts.

Criticism of the minister and the prime minister's position

Earlier that same day, a special committee of the Estonian parliament discussed problems related to accounting in the defense sector. The hearing followed a report by the National Audit Office that pointed to problems in the defense sector.

The following figures publicly called for Pevkur's resignation:

Prime Minister Kristen Michal convened a government meeting for Thursday morning on Tuesday, September 1. During the meeting, the auditor general was expected to present an overview of problems in the defense sector.

Michal said he did not consider Pevkur personally responsible for the situation. At the same time, he said this did not rule out the minister's political responsibility.

The prime minister also said Pevkur could make his own decision on resignation after the government meeting.

Russia spreads fake claim about Estonia providing "zero aid" to Ukraine

Amid the situation involving Estonia's defense minister, Russia is spreading a fake claim in the EU's English-language information space that Estonia has allegedly provided "zero aid" to Ukraine.

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council reported on Telegram that Russian information resources are spreading claims about Tallinn allegedly providing no financial aid to Kyiv. Pro-Kremlin media and disinformation networks cite a table from Ukraine's Finance Ministry and claim Estonia ranks last among donors. It has not provided Ukraine with "a single dollar" since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The Center stressed that this manipulation relies on the substitution of concepts.

As the Center notes, Ukraine's Finance Ministry reporting reflects only concessional loans and grants that went directly to the state budget's general fund. These data do not cover military aid, weapons transfers, reconstruction projects, humanitarian cargo, refugee support costs, or contributions through EU funds.

Thus, according to the Center, Russian propaganda presents an indicator for only one type of funding as the entire volume of support for Ukraine.

At the same time, Estonia's total assistance to Ukraine in 2022–2027 amounts to 1.41 billion euros. In particular:

According to the Center, Russia's goal in this information attack is to sow distrust and create division between Kyiv and its most consistent partners.

Background

It should be noted that on September 2, Estonia's parliament, the Riigikogu, elected Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise as the country's new president during a session.