Lithuanian court upholds controversial anti-tank mine procurement contract

A Lithuanian appeals court has ruled that a suspended 22.8 million euro contract for anti-tank mines with the company Eksplosita—linked to the Fegda Group—will remain in force, rejecting a bid by the Defence Resources Agency to halt its execution pending a final decision, LRT reports.

The Defence Resources Agency had sought to terminate the December 2025 agreement, under which Eksplosita committed to delivering 14,000 anti-track mines and 6,000 anti-bottom mines over two years. The agency argued that allowing the contract to proceed could cause “irreparable harm to public finances” if the court later rules in its favour, citing doubts over the company’s financial and technical capacity to fulfil the order.

In its Thursday ruling, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal upheld a January 23 decision by the Vilnius Regional Court, which denied the agency’s request for interim measures to block the contract’s implementation. The appeals court agreed that suspending the deal would effectively pre-empt the outcome of the main case and could “disrupt the balance of interests” between the parties, potentially causing greater harm than benefit.

The lower court had previously found that the agency failed to provide “sufficient and objective evidence” justifying the need for interim measures. Both courts also noted that blocking the contract could unfairly restrict Eksplosita’s ability to meet its obligations.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas moved to cancel the contract in mid-January, citing public information, law enforcement inquiries, and risks to the supply of Lithuania’s armed forces. Following the ministry’s decision, Eksplosita stated it would continue pursuing plans to expand ammunition and mine production in Lithuania.