The Investigative Committee Of The Russian Federation Dropped Murder Charges Against A Crime Boss Known To Putin

Ilya Traber has been found not to have been involved in the crime.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has dropped the murder charge against St. Petersburg businessman and Vladimir Putin associate Ilya Traber in connection with the killing of businessman Alexander Petrov, reports "Fontanka" reports, citing its sources. According to the publication, the investigation concluded that Traber had no involvement whatsoever in the crime. A few days earlier, the 75-year-old entrepreneur had been released from the Lefortovo pretrial detention center in Moscow due to a “sudden deterioration in his health.” He traveled to St. Petersburg, where, as “Fontanka” notes, he held a series of meetings with government and business representatives. In addition, Traber was granted the right to rehabilitation and compensation for damages resulting from his unlawful detention.

FSB officers detained Traber on June 17 in connection with the 2020 murder of Vyborg businessman Petrov, who was considered his right-hand man. Traber’s longtime business partner Vladimir Danilenko was detained along with him. Following his arrest, the businessman withdrew from the list of founders of several companies, including “Primorsky UPK”—one of Russia’s largest new port complexes. Traber is one of St. Petersburg’s most influential businessmen, whom the Spanish prosecutor’s office has identified as one of the leaders of the Tambov organized crime group. In the 1990s, he controlled the St. Petersburg port, the oil terminal located there, and a number of fuel companies. While working at the St. Petersburg City Hall, Putin helped Traber’s business, as noted in The Moscow Times.

A Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin knew the businessman, but emphasized that their relationship was strictly professional. At the same time, Traber was a guest of honor at Putin’s birthday celebrations in at least 2004 and 2016, according to The Insider. In its investigation, the TV channel “Dozhd” called him “the only living crime boss whose acquaintance Putin has acknowledged.”

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