08.12.2022.
Communique
With regards to untrue and incorrect interpretation of the statement given by Assistant Minister of Defence for Material Resources in relation to the destruction of tanks, and for the purpose of truthful information of the public, we hereby note that on the basis of relevant decision of then minister of defence, the sale was approved of surplus arms and military equipment following their destruction, as scrap material, which was implemented through the Contract No. 2397-46-4-05 concluded between the Ministry of Defence (as seller) and company “Remont-Reprom” ltd. Čačak (as buyer) by which the seller was “obliged to deliver, and buyer was obliged to take over and pay for 10.000 tons of the scrape material and decommissioned assets of arms and military equipment from the stocks of the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro:
- Tank T55 (all types) - 200 pieces,
- Armoured transporter OTM 60 - 121 pieces,
- Self-propelled weapon 90mm M35 - 77 pieces,
- Howitzer 122mm M38 - 88 pieces,
- Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU 57/2 mm - 36 pieces
This totals 522 pieces of armoured materiel and artillery systems”.
We note that the said weapons were decommissioned, destroyed, cut and sold as scrap material in line with relevant decisions of then General Staff and Ministry of Defence.
We hereby remind that, in the beginning of this year, appearing at the Pink television, the assistant minister, explaining that the fact that the assets had been destroyed was far more important that the fact that they had been melted, clarified the technology in which that had been done stating the following:
“The tanks were not melted in the Steel Plant Smederevo, but they were cut and some 10,200 tons of scrap material went to the Czech Republic on 500 trucks. Hence, they were not melted in the Steel Plant Smederevo, because it does not have technological capacities to melt that kind of steel, but it was most probably melted in the Czech Republic, where there were collection centres for the steel industry of Europe which had bought that scrape material of the combat armoured vehicles”.
In that TV programme, he also stated that catastrophic moves had been made at that time and instanced cutting 57 mm anti-aircraft two-barrel guns, on tank chassis, which was perspective weapon and calibre even at that moment.
On that occasion, he said: “If those guns had been kept, some of our present plans would have been carried out differently”.
We remind that in accordance with decisions of then General Staff and Ministry of Defence, a great quantity of portable anti-aircraft missile systems, of which 9,218 rockets 9М32М (Arrow 2M) and 420 pieces of launchers LM 9P58 (for Arrow 2M).
We hereby point out that the national industry has developed a procedure to extend the lifetime through overhaul and modernisation of Arrow 2M and to use the remaining rockets, following their modernisation, for the engagement of contemporary air threats - primarily various categories of drones. This particular usage of the rockets was considered to have great prospects, and these rockets would have been of great use today for the anti-aircraft defence of our troops against this modern threat.
Apart from that, 23,132 pieces of small arms and light weapons have been destroyed as well.
Please note that any constructive and critical opinion is more than welcome, but we appeal to all those appearing in the public to interpret the statements of members of the Ministry of Defence in a correct and truthful manner.
