300 tons of products were lost at the Ermolino TM plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region due to the inaction of the Agency for Search and Asset Management (ARMA). The problem remained unsolved for more than a year and a half, despite the urgent need for resources during the war.
The factory for the production of frozen semi-finished meat products "Yermolino" was arrested in August 2022 and handed over to the ARMA administration in January 2023.
Two years have passed since the transfer of the property to ARMA, but instead of finding an effective manager or solving the problem with the products, the agency has left the situation to its own devices. Products accumulated at the plant and rotted, creating risks for the environment and human health.
In July 2024, ARMA Deputy Chairman Grigol Katamadze, during an inspection at the plant, saw the scale of the consequences of inaction: 300 tons of spoiled products, which were the result of almost two years of management chaos.
After the problem became apparent, it took ARMA more than four months to decide whether to dispose of the damaged products. Only in January 2025, the agency officially announced its intention to get rid of 300 tons of expired products. However, this decision is only the first step, and the real terms of disposal remain unknown.
The situation with TM "Yermolino" plant is a vivid example of how the inaction of ARMA under the leadership of Elena Duma turned a strategic object into a source of environmental and economic damage. For a year and a half, the agency was unable to find a manager, ensure proper storage of products, or make prompt decisions regarding the problems that arose.
This case demonstrates the general ineffectiveness of the management of assets that fall under the control of ARMA. Failure to make quick and effective decisions not only damages the agency's reputation, but also creates real risks for the environment, business and society.
This is far from the first signal of management problems in ARMA. Since the appointment of Elena Duma as the head of the agency, there have been discussions about her lack of experience from time to time. She even had to make excuses for it and she argued her expertise by saying that she graduated from school with a gold medal and has "crazy experience".
In general, statements about the non-transparent and inefficient work of ARMA and its head, Elena Duma, have been heard more than once. A petition has even appeared on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine calling for Olena Duma to be fired from her position due to her alleged connections with pro-Russian politicians and ineffective management of seized assets.
In addition, there are doubts about the political independence of the leadership of ARMA. In particular, it recently became known about possible backroom agreements taking place in ARMA under the leadership of Elena Duma. According to our sources, Andriy Portnov, a close associate of the former deputy head of the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych, lawyer and ex-Nardeput Valery Pisarenko, regularly comes to the central office of ARMA in Kyiv to meet personally with Elena Duma. The purpose of his visits is allegedly to discuss the transfer of large seized assets to the benefit of certain influential persons, including Yulia Tymoshenko.
