'Petrohan' Case: Ministry of Interior Says Shell Casings and Bullets Found at the Lodge Were Not Fired from a Firearm

Shell casings and bullets discovered during an inspection of the Petrohan mountain lodge were not fired from a firearm, according to a ballistic analysis by experts at the Scientific Institute of Criminalistics, the Ministry of Interior said on February 16.

Ballistics specialists at the institute say these findings support the conclusion that the casings and bullets were not fired from a gun.

The Interior Ministry added that when cartridges are not chambered in a weapon but are exposed to intense heat — for example during a fire — the gunpowder inside the casing may ignite spontaneously at sufficiently high temperatures. In such cases, the powder burns rapidly, pressure builds up inside the casing, and the casing may rupture and/or the bullet may separate.

Because there is no barrel to direct and contain the pressure, the bullet typically does not reach a velocity comparable to that of a normal gunshot, the ministry explained. Fragments of the casing or the bullet itself may scatter over a short distance, but with significantly lower energy than in a standard discharge.

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