CEO of Lavna seaport in Murmansk arrested 

According to several Telegram channels and Russian media outlets, Stanislav Multakh has been detained in Moscow. Reports claim he is accused of large-scale embezzlement.

News of Multakh's detention emerged in the morning on Friday, and by the evening the Arctic Observer reported that Moscow's Savyolovsky District Court had ordered him to be remanded in custody for two months.

The developments come against the backdrop of mounting difficulties surrounding the Lavna port project itself. In March 2025, during the International Arctic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially launched coal transshipment operations at Lavna by video link. However, the terminal has failed to reach its planned operating capacity, while cargo volumes have fallen sharply. In the first quarter of 2026, transshipment volumes declined by 39 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier.

So far, however, no official statement confirming Multakh's detention or arrest has been issued by law enforcement agencies, the court, the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry or GTLK itself.

In April, it emerged that the Murmansk Transport Hub development project, which includes Lavna port, had encountered a severe shortfall in state funding needed to complete the 50-kilometre railway linking Vykhodnoy station with the port. The project's main construction contractor, Yamaltransstroy, was refused additional financing by Russian Railways (RZD), which has itself been hit by a 97 per cent collapse in profits and an audit by the Accounts Chamber that uncovered inflated advance payments.

The situation has been compounded by the deepening crisis in Russia's coal industry. Sanctions, weakening demand and rising costs have led to a sharp decline in coal production in the Kuzbass and other mining regions. As a result, despite Lavna terminal reaching a technical handling capacity of 12 million tonnes per year at the beginning of 2026, the port has effectively been left without a supply base, as there is currently little coal available to transport or handle.

Ownership of the port has also changed in parallel with these developments. In mid-2025, one of the project's investors, the SDS Coal holding company, withdrew completely after selling its stake to fellow shareholder the Centre for Port Infrastructure Development (CRPI). Following the transaction, CRPI increased its ownership to 95 per cent, while the remaining 5 per cent remained under the control of the state-owned GTLK.

Stanislav Multakh is widely regarded as a member of the so-called "Arkady Rotenberg team".

Before taking over at Lavna, he worked within the organisations overseen by former Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov, who has also been linked to the interests of the oligarch. The port's principal construction contractors were TEK Mosenergo and NPS Engineering, companies affiliated with Rotenberg. In addition, CRPI, which now owns 95 per cent of the port, belongs to Boris Guttsov, whom Russian media have likewise described as being part of Rotenberg's inner circle.

Rotenberg is a childhood friend of Vladimir Putin from their days in Leningrad.