Russian crime boss Ilya Traber detained over sniper killing of Alexander Petrov
Russian authorities have detained Ilya Traber, one of Russia’s most infamous organized crime figures, in connection with the investigation into the 2020 sniper killing of influential businessman and politician Alexander Petrov.
According to sources, Traber may be transferred to Moscow for further investigative proceedings as early as today.
The operation reportedly extends beyond Traber. Searches are said to be underway at properties linked to Gennady Petrov, another prominent figure long associated with the St. Petersburg criminal underworld.
Alexander Petrov, widely known as the unofficial "master of Vyborg," was shot dead in October 2020 while on the grounds of his country residence. A sniper fired two fatal shots, killing the businessman in what investigators immediately viewed as a professionally organized contract killing.
Petrov had been closely associated with Traber since the 1990s, when the latter, widely known by the nickname "Antikvar" ("The Antique Dealer"), built influence over Russia’s lucrative port business. Their relationship later deteriorated amid a bitter dispute over assets and control of commercial interests in the strategically important port city of Vyborg.
In the years before his death, Petrov reportedly began selling off significant business assets while preparing to relocate abroad to join his son, former Formula One driver Vitaly Petrov. Sources say those plans intensified the conflict with Traber, whose long-standing business interests included cargo handling operations at Russian ports and the Vyborg Shipyard.
Traber’s name has repeatedly surfaced in connection with violent power struggles surrounding Russia’s port industry. Witness testimony obtained during separate investigations into disputes involving the fishing company Norebo described threats allegedly linked to Traber, including warnings that "if you don’t do what Traber says, the machine guns will start talking."
His name has also long been associated with the 1997 assassination of St. Petersburg Vice Governor Mikhail Manevich, who was killed by a sniper after reportedly falling out with Traber over control of port assets. The similarities between the killings of Manevich and Petrov have fueled speculation for years that both murders were connected to the same criminal power struggles.
According to sources, Traber spent much of the past several years living in Europe and reportedly married a Latvian woman more than five decades younger than himself. He is said to have returned to St. Petersburg during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) for a series of meetings but was detained before leaving Russia.
Traber has long been considered one of the most influential figures to emerge from Russia’s criminal-business nexus of the 1990s. He was reportedly personally acquainted with Vladimir Putin and maintained connections reaching deep into Russia’s political and business elite.
His detention marks one of the highest-profile moves against a veteran figure of Russia’s organized crime world in years and could reopen one of the country’s most notorious unsolved contract killing investigations.
Technology & Business Editor
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