Influential St. Petersburg Businessman Ilya Traber Detained in Russia

Influential St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber has been detained. According to Fontanka, law enforcement officers searched his country residence on the morning of June 17, while Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel were seen at the businessman's office on Starorusskaya Street, 12, in central St. Petersburg, as well as at enterprises belonging to him.

Traber was questioned by officers from the central apparatus of Russia's FSB and was subsequently taken to Moscow for further interrogation. His business partner, Vladimir Danilenko, was detained alongside him and was also transported to the capital.

The reason for the detention of Traber and Danilenko may be the 2020 murder of lawmaker and businessman Alexander Petrov in Vyborg. Reports indicate that Traber could face charges related to arranging a contract killing.

Petrov Was Shot With a Sniper Rifle

Alexander Petrov was killed with a sniper rifle on the evening of October 24, 2020, at his home in the village of Velikoye. The shot was fired from the opposite bank of a river while the businessman was leaving a bathhouse. Investigators immediately stated that the killing was a contract murder carried out for hire. It was suggested that the gunman may have been a former intelligence operative who monitored the victim for six to eight hours while waiting for the right moment to fire.

Relatives and associates of the slain businessman said that Petrov had been preparing to move abroad and was therefore selling off assets and business holdings. Among the properties listed for sale was the house where he was ultimately killed. Before the murder, a safe containing 500,000 rubles [$6,400] and several watches were stolen from the residence, although the true objective of the burglars may have been certain documents. Petrov informed police about the theft but did not file an official complaint out of concern that doing so could damage his reputation. Investigators did not rule out the possibility that the theft of the safe and Petrov's murder were connected.

Alexander Petrov was a co-owner of Vyborg Shipyard JSC, Vyborg Fuel Company CJSC, and several other enterprises. He was unofficially referred to as the "owner of Vyborg.” He was also the father of Russia's first Formula One driver, Vitaly Petrov.

Traber Built a Major Port and Infrastructure Business

Ilya Traber began his business career in the late 1980s trading antiques, earning the nickname "Antikvar” ("The Antiquarian”). His business interests later expanded into a major infrastructure and port group. He owns marine terminals, logistics assets, land holdings in the Leningrad Region, port service companies, and projects in the oil, gas, and transportation sectors.

One of his most significant recent projects is the Primorsky Universal Port Complex (UPK), which is expected to become one of Russia's largest new port facilities. The project is located near Vyborg.

Vladimir Danilenko has long been regarded as Traber's closest business associate. He served as Traber's junior partner in companies including Primorsky UPK LLC, Fort LLC, RR-City, and several other enterprises.

In June 2021, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin "knows the surname” Traber because he worked in St. Petersburg. "This individual played a certain role in economic life and so on. The president himself has said that he knows the name. However, I am not aware of any close personal, friendly, or business relationship between them,” Peskov said.

It has also been alleged that Traber may have had ties to Vladimir Barsukov-Kumarin, the reputed leader of the Tambov organized crime group.