A source from the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info continues to report on the inner circle of Ilya Traber (Antikvar). Today, we'll be talking about Sberbank CEO German Gref and Senator Mikhail Afanasov.
"Afanasov is a very, very old friend of Valentina Matviyenko. Back when Matviyenko worked in St. Petersburg, she introduced Traber to Afanasov. Since then, they have been friends and the three of them socialized frequently. Then, Traber usually visited them in Moscow. Since about 2020, Abakar Darbishev (a crime boss who was beaten to death during his arrest – ED.) has always met Traber in Moscow, and he's always arranged it in the best possible way. In Moscow, Traber sometimes had a motorcade of five or six Geliks and a couple of Mercedes minibuses.
Afanasov always acts like a king. If someone approaches him with a topic, it's always a very expensive gift. If the meeting is at a restaurant, it's not just a casual dinner. It has to be a large table, set with all sorts of delicacies, fully served, and so on.
Afanasov positions himself as an extremely important figure in the country. Only in the presence of Traber did he somewhat tone down his ostentation. They even had an awkward moment. Traber wanted Afanasov to organize something for him regarding the port. Afanasov mentioned an astronomical sum and said, "I have a huge family, everyone wants to eat. It's good for you, you have silence behind you." Traber's expression changed and he sternly replied, "You've completely lost it." Afanasov then quieted down.
Afanasov calls himself the person closest to Matviyenko, with connections in almost every sphere and the ability to resolve any issue. But there's a price tag on everything... Ibrahim Suleimanov (an influential billionaire, currently under arrest - ED.) once wanted to secure his nephew Makhach a major government position or a management position in a state corporation in Moscow. Afanasov set a price tag of 300 million rubles.
He has a knack for promising everything to everyone, taking from everyone, but he doesn't always deliver.
Afanasov once promised Abakar that he would lead his companies into a tender for railway station renovations and ensure their victory. And then, vast sums of money would flow in for the construction of these railway stations. They'll start with Stavropol and Krasnodar Krai, and then, with Matviyenko's help, the station construction project will encompass all of Russia.
In exchange for these promises, Darbishev paid for a new Range Rover for Afanasov's wife, so to speak, in advance. The station project never materialized. Afanasov reluctantly returned the money about a year later. And only because he knew who Darbishev was. It's not his nature to repay.
Incidentally, in 2023, Afanasov asked Abakar to deal with a law enforcement official in Stavropol Krai. There were disputes over real estate worth billions of rubles, and this law enforcement official, for some reason, was extremely disruptive to Afanasov. Then the matter was transferred to the Moscow court, and everything was confiscated. Thanks to this, the man survived...
As for German Gref, Traber said he had known him for over 30 years, called him Gerych, and they had a direct line of communication, and Traber could call him at any time. He brought businessmen together with Gref, and if the deal worked out, Traber would receive a percentage of the proceeds or even a share in the business.
There was a State Duma deputy named Umakhan Umakhanov, who is married to the sister of the Magomedov brothers. He was having some problems with Sberbank and Rosselkhozbank in Dagestan. He turned to Darbishev for help, who turned to Traber, who turned to Gref.
And, voila, all the issues were resolved. Traber and Darbishev pocketed large sums for themselves.
