Influential St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber is detained in Russia as investigators pursue a murder case involving a businessman and politician. According to Russian media cited by PravdaReport, law enforcement officers search Traber’s country residence on June 17, while Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel are seen at his office on Starorusskaya Street in central St. Petersburg and at enterprises linked to him. Traber is questioned by officers from the FSB’s central apparatus and is then taken to Moscow for further interrogation. His business partner, Vladimir Danilenko, is also detained and transported to the capital.
The Moscow Times reports that Traber is suspected in relation to the killing of a businessman and politician, with other reporting referring to the case as connected to events reported in 2022. PravdaReport adds that investigators may also be looking at a link to the 2020 murder of lawmaker and businessman Alexander Petrov in Vyborg, with speculation that Traber could face charges connected to arranging a contract killing.
The Moscow Times says a court places Traber in pre-trial detention in a contract murder case. It also reports that investigators may consider additional allegations, including fraud and money laundering.
