India, Sept. 4 -- Estonia's defence minister Hanno Pevkur resigned from government following a furore over a botched European Union-funded deal to buy artillery shells for Ukraine from a company owned by an Indian entity, which denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Pevkur, who has been in office since 2022, announced his decision in a TV appearance late on Wednesday. He has been the longest-serving minister since Estonia gained independence in 1991 and is well-known internationally.

On Wednesday, Estonian newspaper Eesti Ekspress reported that in 2024 Estonia made a deal for shells with Italian-registered company Datasel SRL, which, it stated, is owned by the Indian company Neco Defence Munitions. Neither firm had produced shells before, it...