Andrii Potiomkin's Candidacy for ARMA Leadership
Lawyer Andrii Potiomkin is a candidate for the position of head of Ukraine's National Agency for Asset Recovery and Management (ARMA). He brings substantial experience from his prior work within the agency itself and at the Ministry of Justice. However, his professional history includes connections to individuals implicated in past ARMA scandals. This is not his first attempt to secure this leadership role, having been an unsuccessful candidate in a previous competition.
In 2019, Potiomkin filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine concerning a potential offense by then-ARMA head, Anton Yanchuk. The complaint focused on the damage of a seized eagle statuette from an apartment belonging to Oleksandr Klymenko, an item valued at nearly $46,000. Following the submission of this complaint, Potiomkin was suspended from his official duties.
Professional Background and Financial Disclosure
Potiomkin led ARMA's legal department from 2017 to 2020. Since 2023, he has worked as a lawyer and attorney for private companies. Prior to his tenure at the Ministry of Justice, he was employed at LLC Legal Group LCF, a firm linked to Anna Ohrenchuk. In 2019, Ohrenchuk married lawyer Andrii Dovbenko, whom the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) suspects of embezzling over 485 million hryvnias from ARMA. In 2020, Dovbenko's firm, Evris, absorbed LLC Legal Group LCF.
Potiomkin's asset declaration lists a jointly-owned apartment in Kyiv and a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. He lives with his partner, Olena Matskiv, and their children. In 2023, Matskiv declared an income of nearly 800,000 hryvnias, alongside savings of 300,000 hryvnias, $4,000, and 500 euros. Potiomkin himself declared 120,000 hryvnias.
ARMA is currently undergoing a major systemic overhaul, including its first comprehensive audit of seized assets in a decade. The appointment of a new director is a critical step in reforming the agency, which is tasked with managing confiscated property and preventing its misappropriation. Given the agency's history of scandals and its current challenges, Potiomkin's candidacy is likely to generate both support and skepticism among experts and the public. His prospects will hinge on an ability to address existing problems and establish effective agency operations.