The FSB Detained A Friend Of Putin's From The 1990s
- 17.06.2026, 12:20
While serving as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Putin provided significant support to his business.
Russia's Federal Security Service detained Ilya Traber — one of St. Petersburg’s most influential businessmen, who was linked to Vladimir Putin in the 1990s and whom Spanish prosecutors have identified as one of the leaders of the Tambov organized crime group.
According to “Fontanka”, early in the morning on June 17, FSB officers conducted searches at Traber’s country house in the Leningrad Region, at his office on Starorusskaya Street, and at several businesses owned by Traber. The operations were carried out by officers from the Central Directorate of the FSB of Russia. It is currently unknown on what charges Traber was detained.
Putin and Traber have known each other for more than 30 years—ever since the future Russian president worked at the St. Petersburg City Hall. According to *Novaya Gazeta*, Putin provided significant support to Traber’s business while serving as deputy mayor. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin and Traber knew each other, but described their relationship as professional and their interactions as routine.
Traber was a guest of honor at Putin’s birthday celebrations in at least 2004 and 2016, The Insider reported. In its investigation, the TV channel “Dozhd” called Traber “the only living criminal boss whom Putin has acknowledged knowing.”
The chairman of the board of “Gazprom Neft,” Alexander Dyukov, a former KGB colleague of Putin’s, said that Putin provided “very significant assistance and support” to the St. Petersburg oil terminal, which Traber controlled together with businessman Dmitry Sgikin. In 2025, the terminal—through which petroleum products from Surgutneftegaz’s “Kinef” refinery near St. Petersburg are shipped for export—was nationalized following a lawsuit filed by the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Traber began his business career in the 1990s in the antiques market, where his key project was the “Antikvar” restoration and commercial center. Today, Traber’s business consists of a major infrastructure and port group, centered on marine terminals, logistics, land assets in the Baltic region, port service companies, and related projects in the oil, gas, and transportation sectors, according to “Fontanka.”
In 2015, businessman Maksim Freidzon, who had left Russia, gave an interview to Radio Liberty in which he spoke about Vladimir Putin’s ties to criminal figures of the 1990s. According to Freidzon, Putin demanded that entrepreneurs hand over 15% of the revenue generated by their fuel company “Soveks” (which, with the help of the city government, had monopolized aircraft refueling at Pulkovo Airport). “In the end, we agreed on 4%,” Freidzon claimed, adding that he did not know how much was actually paid.