How the state sold seized assets last year

In 2025, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) sold seized property worth more than UAH 196 million through the Prozorro.Sale system. Out of 184 announced auctions, 40 were successfully completed. This was reported in a publication by the Institute of Legislative Ideas on Ekonomichna Pravda.

The sold assets included vehicles, agricultural products, industrial goods, machinery, and other property that had previously been under arrest in the framework of criminal proceedings.

As noted by the ILI, the funds received from the sales are kept in ARMA’s special accounts until a final court decision is issued. In the event of confiscation, the money is transferred to the state budget; if the seizure is lifted, it is returned to the owner in the form of the monetary equivalent of the property.

“At the same time, these funds may be invested in military bonds, providing additional support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the experts said.

They added that ARMA pays particular attention to the sale of seized maritime vessels. In particular, in 2025, after a third attempt, the vessel USKO MFU was sold, generating a total economic effect of UAH 6.9 million, including customs payments. Earlier, the vessel NIKA SPIRIT was also successfully sold, confirming the effectiveness of sale as a method of managing such assets.

The ILI emphasizes that sale is only one of the methods of managing seized assets, and at the initial stage ARMA attempted to transfer certain vessels to temporary management in order to generate steady income. However, experience with nine vessels and the vessel Emmakris III, which have been under arrest in the ports of Izmail and Chornomorsk since 2022, demonstrated the complexity of this approach.

“Despite the conducted tenders and the selection of a manager, actual management never began due to the ban on vessels leaving ports and the limited possibilities for their use. The lack of management results, financial and security risks, as well as damage to the vessel Emmakris III as a result of a Russian UAV attack at the end of 2025, confirmed the expediency of selling such assets,” ILI analysts believe

They stress that under martial law, the timely sale of seized property helps avoid depreciation and additional risks for the state. Therefore, ARMA continues to apply an individualized approach to each asset in order to turn it into a real economic resource.