In January 2014, various journalists, aid workers, and others have documented the presence of brass shotgun slugs in the streets of Kiev. An eyewitness (interviewed by ARES) described one such projectile as having been fired into a crowd he was standing with. Two images (IMG #1 and #2 right) depicting the fired projectiles were posted on Twitter by Christopher Miller and Oleksandr Aronets, both on the 22nd of January, 2014.
The projectiles shown are specialised armor-piercing (AP) 12 gauge shotgun projectiles, believed to have been developed and produced by the Spetstekhnika (Specialized Equipment) design bureau, a facility located in Kiev and associated with the Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs. The projectiles are comprised of either a brass or aluminium slug and a core of (likely hardened) steel, designed to act as a penetrator. The design of the projectile has been optimized for stopping vehicles, and the cartridge is referred to as a “car stopper.” (IMG #4 opposite page center), provided by a fellow IAA member, shows an example of a complete cartridge, an unfired projectile, and a wad column. It should be noted that the cartridge case pictured, with a headstamp indicating production by Baschieri & Pellagri Spa of Italy, is commercially available and does not indicate where the loaded cartridge was produced. Shotgun shells are particularly difficult to identify from headstamps alone, as a range of third-party producers can be involved in the supply of shotgun cartridge cases (hulls and brass heads) to manufacturers of complete cartridges. Shotgun shell cases supplied on government contracts often follow commercial marking practices, making them difficult to distinguish from cartridges used for civilian purposes.
Contrary to some information circulating online, these slugs are not Blondeau-type projectiles. Additionally, the larger “end” of the projectile is the forward portion. There also appears to be some confusion as to the purpose of these cartridges, with some sources claiming they are primarily used as breaching rounds. Unlike dedicated breaching cartridges, which typically make use of frangible projectiles of sintered metal powder, these slugs are not intended to disintegrate upon impact.
Suffice to say, these projectiles are lethal, and would not generally be fired in the course of a crowd-control action. Firing such cartridges against human targets certainly constitutes lethal force and, whilst effective within range constraints, would be an unusual choice. Other cartridge types would be more readily available, cheaper, and more effective if lethal force was required.
This article is courtesy of Armament Research Services (ARES) – www.armamentresearch.com
