At the TM “Yermolino” factory in Dnipropetrovsk region, 300 tons of products were lost due to the inaction of the Asset Tracking and Management Agency (ARMA). The problem remained unresolved for over a year and a half, despite the urgent need for resources during the war.
The Yermolino frozen meat semi-finished products factory was arrested back in August 2022 and transferred to the management of ARMA in January 2023.
Two years have passed since the property was transferred to ARMA, but instead of finding an effective manager or solving the problem with the products, the agency left the situation to chance. Products accumulated at the factory 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 managerial chaos.
After the problem became apparent, it took ARMA more than four months to make a decision to dispose of the spoiled products. It was not until January 2025 that 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 actual timing of disposal remains unknown.
The situation with the TM “Yermolino” plant is a vivid example of how the inaction of ARMA under the leadership of Olena Duma turned a strategic facility 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 overall inefficiency of the management of assets under the control of ARMA. The inability 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 not the first signal of management problems at ARMA. Since the appointment of Olena Duma to the position of head of the agency, discussions have arisen from time to time about her lack of sufficient experience. She even had to make excuses for this, arguing her expertise by the fact that she graduated from school with a gold medal and has “a lot of experience.”.
In general, statements about the non-transparent and ineffective work of ARMA and its head Olena Duma have been made repeatedly. A petition even appeared on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine calling for Olena Duma to be dismissed from her position due to her alleged connections with pro-Russian politicians and ineffective management of seized assets.
In addition, doubts are raised about the political independence of the ARMA leadership. In particular, it has recently become known about possible backroom agreements taking place in ARMA under the leadership of Olena Duma. According to our sources, a close associate of the former deputy head of the presidential administration of Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, lawyer and former People's Deputy Valery Pysarenko, regularly visits the ARMA central office in Kyiv to meet personally with Olena Duma. The purpose of his visits is allegedly to discuss the transfer of large seized assets in favor of certain influential people, in particular Yulia Tymoshenko.
