Russia’s Investigative Committee has dropped its criminal case against St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber “due to his complete lack of involvement” in the murder of entrepreneur Alexander Petrov, the St. Petersburg-based news outlet Fontanka reported. Traber’s lawyer confirmed to the Russian state news agency TASS that the committee had closed the case against him.
Traber has also been granted the right to seek redress — compensation for emotional distress and material damages tied to his unlawful detention.
Traber left Moscow’s pretrial detention center on August 27 and headed to St. Petersburg, media reported. According to the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo, he was fitted with an electronic bracelet.
According to Fontanka, Traber has met with government and business representatives in Moscow and St. Petersburg since August 29.
Ilya Traber is widely considered a businessman close to Vladimir Putin. He began his career in the 1980s dealing in antiques, and by the 1990s controlled both the St. Petersburg port and the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal.
In June 2026, authorities accused Traber and his associate Vladimir Danilenko of organizing the 2020 murder of St. Petersburg businessman and municipal deputy Alexander Petrov. Both men were arrested, and Traber was taken to Moscow’s Lefortovo pretrial detention center.
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