Binance Cooperates with Russia on Ukraine Donations Case

Investigative Committee documents reveal that Binance provided Russian authorities with details about an IT specialist who donated over $700 to Ukrainian military groups, a move that may have broken European Union data protection laws. The committee alleged in October that Yuri Belenkiy sent the funds between January 2023 and March 2024 in response to online appeals from exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.

Babenko's channel on Telegram listed cryptocurrency wallets where people could send donations, which would then be used to buy medical equipment for Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russian forces. However, Belenkiy's lawyer did not respond to questions about the case or Binance's role in the investigation.

According to documents seen by Reuters, Binance responded to a request from Russian law enforcement officials with details showing crypto transfers to the Ukrainian organizations. The transactions were incorporated as evidence in the case against Belenkiy, who is currently awaiting trial in a Russian jail.

Bystrov, a lawyer specializing in crypto regulation, said that if Belenkiy was registered with Binance as an EU resident, he would be covered by the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This would prohibit Binance from disclosing his details without a court order and compliance with stringent provisions.

Bystrov noted that Russia is not viewed as a country with an adequate level of protection for personal data under GDPR, making it a 'delicate matter' to send personal data there. However, Binance declined to comment on whether handing over Belenkiy's data would constitute a GDPR rule breach.