Ministry of Defense cancels outdated requirement for flash point of 62 degrees for diesel fuel – director of A-95

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine recently canceled the outdated requirement for an increased flash point of 62 degrees when purchasing diesel fuel, said the director of a consulting company, Serhiy Kuyun.

"As evidenced by the tender documentation, the August and September purchases of diesel fuel were carried out with the canceled requirement for compliance with the Soviet standard for flash point," he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

According to Kuyun, the specified norm was still in effect in July, which resulted in the addition of potential positions for supplying Indian-made diesel fuel to the list.

"In Europe, this indicator is not standardized at all and is usually 55 degrees, and those 62 migrated to us from Soviet times, when such fuel requirements were dictated by the peculiarities of fuel use in the fleet. We have almost no fleet left, but the norm turned out to be tenacious," he explained.

As the director of A-95 noted, it was this norm that limited the range of diesel fuel producers for the enterprises of the Ministry of Defense to two refineries - Ukrtatnafta in Kremenchuk and the refinery in Plock of Polish Orlen, which produces "Soviet" diesel fuel in limited quantities on special orders from Ukrnafta.

"After massive shelling in June, the first [Ukrtatnafta] left the chat, the second produces a stable volume. The risk of disrupting supplies to the Ministry of Defense, which was repeatedly warned about, has become a reality. That is why Indian diesel appeared on the scene, which also meets the Soviet standard," he wrote.