Russian port entrepreneur Ilya Traber detained in St Petersburg, local media report

Russian businessman Ilya Traber has been detained in St Petersburg, with searches underway at his properties and one associate also detained, according to local news outlet Fontanka.

​Prominent Russian ‌businessman Ilya Traber ​has been detained in St Petersburg, local ‌news outlet Fontanka reported on Wednesday.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Fontanka said searches were ‌under way at Traber's properties and one ‌of his associates was also detained.

Traber has extensive interests in infrastructure including a major new ⁠deep ​water Baltic ⁠port, Primorsk, of which he owned 31.66% as of ⁠2020. The port does not disclose ​its more recent ownership data. The port, still under ⁠construction, is designed to handle up to 65 ⁠million ​tons of cargo per year including minerals, coal and grain.

The port will ⁠be able to receive deep-water cargo vessels and is ⁠intended ⁠as one of the starting points for Russia's Arctic Sea Route ‌project.