“Mommy cosmonauts”: will satellites help ARMA find seized assets

The agency for search and asset management decided to conquer new horizons – literally. The head of ARMA Olena Duma announced the signing of an agreement with the State Space Agency of Ukraine, thanks to which the agency will get access to the data of remote sensing of the earth. It sounds ambitious, but whether it has any practical basis, I was trying to figure out UNN.

Olena Duma promised in her post on the tg channel that thanks to space images, the agency will be able to see “high-quality images of objects that are under the control of ARMA – both current and in retrospect.” According to her, this will allow:

• track criminal assets around the world from space;
• to provide managers with the opportunity to remotely inspect objects before participating in competitions;
• promptly record the condition and possible destruction of seized property.

It sounds convincing, but it is hardly realistic. How exactly will satellite images help, for example, to assess the status of frozen bank accounts or corporate rights? Is it possible that the condition of the arrested wagons can be better seen from space.

The Audit of the Accounting Chamber showed significant shortcomings in the work of ARMA, including incomplete data in the Unified Register of Seized Assets and imperfection of the existing mechanisms for selecting property managers and appraisers. But instead of real reforms, ARMA focuses on high-profile initiatives. Instead of solving pressing problems — for example, improving cooperation with law enforcement agencies or improving the procedures of tenders for managers — the agency is betting on space.

A natural question arises: isn’t this another attempt by ARMA to draw attention to itself, distracting the public from real failures in the agency’s work? It is not the first time that Olena Duma has tried to create the illusion of innovative activity.

Statements by the head of ARMA about “tracking assets in any corner of the world” sound more like a plot for a science fiction series than a real plan of action. And although the cooperation with the State Space Agency looks impressive, it most likely will not solve any of the urgent problems facing ARMA.

Despite loud statements about a “space breakthrough”, the main question remains open: will this initiative become a real tool in the agency’s work, or will it remain just another attempt to create the illusion of success?