The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested Ilya Traber, considered one of the most influential businessmen in Saint Petersburg.
Medianews.az, citing Russian sources, reports that on the morning of June 17, FSB officers conducted searches at Traber’s dacha in the Leningrad region, his office in Saint Petersburg, and several enterprises owned by him. Officers from the FSB central apparatus participated in the operations.
According to initial information, Traber was detained within the framework of a criminal case related to the death of deputy and businessman Aleksandr Petrov, who was murdered in October 2020 in the Vyborg district. According to sources, Traber could be charged with organizing a contract killing.
Ilya Traber has been acquainted with Russian President Vladimir Putin for many years. Their relations date back to the 1990s when Putin worked at the Saint Petersburg mayor's office. “Novaya Gazeta” writes that during that period, Putin supported Traber’s business projects.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin knows Traber but stated that their relationship is purely professional.
According to “The Insider,” Traber was among the honorary guests at Putin’s birthday events in 2004 and 2016. As reported by “Dozhd” TV channel, Traber is one of the rare criminal authorities whom Putin has openly admitted to knowing.
The Spanish prosecutor’s office once named Traber as one of the leaders of the Tambov organized crime group operating in Saint Petersburg. Traber has denied these allegations.
Traber’s business activity began in the 1990s in the antiques market. Currently, his name is associated with large companies operating in port infrastructure, logistics, transportation, and the oil and gas sector. One of the key projects in recent years is the Primorsk complex, considered one of Russia's largest new port complexes.
In 2025, the Saint Petersburg Oil Terminal controlled by Traber was transferred to state ownership based on a claim by the Prosecutor General's office.
Businessman Maksim Freydzon, who left Russia in 2015, made claims in a media interview about Putin’s relations with certain businessmen in the 1990s. According to Freydzon, Putin demanded a share of the revenues from their fuel company “Soveks.” The Kremlin has repeatedly denied this and similar allegations.