How the reputable businessman Ilya Traber, nicknamed "The Antiquarian," cleared the way to the Kremlin and the PNT oil "feeding trough"
Businessman Ilya Traber, known in St. Petersburg’s criminal circles as “the Antiquarian,” continues to wield influence in the city, thanks in part to his long-standing ties with Vladimir Putin.
In early April, the state took control of 55% of the shares of JSC "Petersburg Oil Terminal" (PNT), whose value at the end of last year was 23.3 billion rubles. At the end of December 2023, the oil asset was worth 17.5 billion rubles. Each year, the company’s value increases, making it a coveted asset for the Kremlin authorities. The revenue of JSC "PNT" in 2024 amounted to 8.6 billion rubles, with a profit of 0.8 billion rubles.
In the early days of PNT, Ilya Traber and businessman Dmitriy Skigin, who frequently sought assistance from St. Petersburg City Hall employee Vladimir Putin, were involved.
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Subsequently, shareholders of PNT included representatives of the Tambov organized crime group: Dmitriy Skigin, Ilya Traber, Gennadiy Petrov, and Sergey Vasiliev. The asset frequently became a contentious issue. In the late ’90s, Traber sold his shares to Vasiliev and fled Russia. "Antiquarian" might have been dissatisfied with the sum received, and in 2006 there was an assassination attempt on Sergey Vasiliev, for which the criminal authority Vladimir Barsukov-Kumarin, the "night governor" of St. Petersburg, was accused in 2007. He is now serving a prison sentence and is unlikely to ever be released.
Much has been written about these matters of days long past, but decades later, the attempt on Vasiliev can be viewed from a different perspective. According to the official version of the investigators, the silent shareholder of PNT Barsukov-Kumarin clashed with Sergey Vasiliev and organized the attack. However, Ilya Traber might also have been involved, acting in the interests of Vladimir Putin. Barsukov-Kumarin hindered the business of the close friend of the Russian President, Gennadiy Timchenko, who was trading oil products, while Traber needed to regain his influence over PNT.
In the interests of Timchenko and Traber, there were plans to simultaneously remove two significant players from the oil market — Vasiliev and Kumarin. The former survived but likely became more compliant, while the latter ended up behind bars. The oil money continued to flow westward, where it was laundered by Traber through real estate purchases.
Dmitriy Skigin died in 2003, and his heirs became his sons Mikhail and Yevgeniy, who owned 50% of PNT shares until early April. The others until 2023 were with Sergey Vasiliev, who transferred them to his wife Elena, after which a corporate conflict erupted in the company. Elena Vasilieva accused the Skigin brothers of attempting a raider takeover of PNT, which was widely reported in the media, and the matter went to court. According to some journalists, Ilya Traber sided with the Skigins.
The role of Traber in the conflict will naturally remain unknown, but the result is evident. 50% of the Skigins’ shares, who live abroad, and 5% of Elena Vasilieva’s shares went to the state. She likely preferred to give PNT control to the state in order to not lose the rest of her stake. Much credit for this may go to Ilya Traber, who helped the wife of his former partner make the right decision.
Last week, the offshore company "Tujunga Enterprises Limited," associated with Mikhail and Yevgeniy Skigin, filed a complaint against the first-instance court’s decision on the nationalization of PNT. Elena Vasilieva, who is the chairperson of the board of directors, also filed an appeal regarding her stake. She decided to portray herself as a victim so that she wouldn’t be suspected of ties to the Russian authorities. There is no doubt about whose favor the appellate court ruling will benefit.
The proof that Ilya Traber continues to operate in the interests of the Russian authorities is his asset LLC "Primorsky UPC," in which Ilya Traber’s stake is under the encumbrance of LLC "MC Fortis-Invest," owned by LLC "SKIF" and Vladimir Sklyarevsky. He was a shareholder of "SKIF" until 2017.
The current shareholder of LLC "SKIF" is Violetta Poroshina, who led LLC "Middle," a financial services provider, from 2013 to 2018. Since 2022, its shareholder with a 75% stake is Vladimir Sklyarevsky. This proves that he and Poroshina are closely connected.
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Vladimir Sklyarevsky has held the position of Senior Vice President and Investment Director of the Bank "St. Petersburg" since 2006, among whose founders are offshore companies that could hide Ilya Traber. Previously, relatives of the SF head Valentina Matviyenko were part of the shareholders of the credit institution. And Sklyarevsky could very well be Traber’s man.
LLC "MC Fortis-Invest" has 26 subsidiary structures linked to CMIFs, behind which representatives of the Russian authorities might hide. LLC "Contour SPB," engaged in oil product production, received revenue of 33 billion rubles in 2024, with profits of only 30 million rubles. The company belongs to the CMIF "City Perspective-2" and has government contracts amounting to 23.6 million rubles.
LLC "Brig," operating in the real estate market, ended up with a loss of 6.4 million rubles in 2024, with the company’s founder being the CMIF "Invest-10," which has government contracts with the Rosreestr Administration for St. Petersburg amounting to 237 million rubles. LLC "Chernya Rechka" experienced a loss of 27 million rubles, with the owner being the CMIF "Invest-10." The company is a contractor for "Osfr for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region" amounting to 99 million rubles. The authorities "feed" structures associated with Ilya Traber.
LLC "Green Point," involved in investments in securities, is currently in the process of liquidation. The company’s value is 7.1 billion rubles, with revenue in 2024 amounting to 160 million rubles and a profit of 2.9 billion rubles. The structure will be liquidated in November 2026. By that time, no money will be left in it. The founders of LLC "Green Point" are CMIF "GREEN" and CMIF "PETROGRADSKY."
The money will be withdrawn offshore to Wandflower Consulting Ltd, which owns 5% of LLC "Primorsky UPC" by Traber. The offshore’s CEO is Oksana Mekler, who is associated with the Moscow Bar Association "Mekler and Partners," headed by Vladimir Mekler. In St. Petersburg, he owns LLC "Agna Catering," which has not made a profit for four years, with a loss of 96 million rubles in 2024.
Our investigation into the past and present activities of the influential and untouchable businessman Ilya Traber proves his connection to the Russian authorities over many years. According to one version, he is still alive because he didn’t abandon Vladimir Putin after Anatoly Sobchak’s defeat in the gubernatorial elections in 1996. According to another, Traber possesses incriminating evidence against Putin and his inner circle, which would be published in the West in the event of the "Antiquarian’s" death. But he knows his place and doesn’t stand out. As long as he remains the personal "wallet" of the Russian president, his pockets will never be empty.
