BORIS KUSTODIEV

The vessel has been implicated in the transportation of cargo for the needs of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of the russian federation.
It is owned by the designated russian maritime shipping company MG-Flot LLC (ООО "МГ-Флот", formerly Transmorflot LLC – ООО "Трансморфлот"). MG-Flot LLC is linked to Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Emirmagomedovich Pashayev, who built his business around the Commercial Port of Olya in the Astrakhan region, owning and controlling a network of companies operating in the port. This location was proposed as a key logistics hub for the "North–South" International Transport Corridor, the creation and construction of which was overseen and controlled by former russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. The primary purpose of the corridor was to facilitate trade with the designated Islamic Republic of Iran, enabling the import and export of goods via the "North–South" route.
Pashayev’s companies have been engaged in the export of military goods from the russian federation since 2021, concluding more than 200 agreements for the maritime transport of military cargo to destinations worldwide. Pashayev and his companies form an integral part of the ongoing transfer of goods to the designated russian JSC SEZ PVT Alabuga (АО "ОЭЗ ПВТ "Алабуга""), one of the main UAV assembly plants in the russian federation, supported by Iran, for the needs of the russian Ministry of Defence.
The vessel Boris Kustodiev regularly operates in the Caspian Sea, transporting cargo between Iran and the russian federation.
On 10 September 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel as property of the designated MG-Flot LLC.