Binance Cooperates with Russian Authorities on Crypto Donations Case
Binance handed over information about cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns to Russian authorities, which was used as evidence in a terrorism financing case against a Russian IT specialist. The exchange provided details of transactions made by Yuri Belenkiy, who is accused of sending more than $700 to the Azov Regiment, designated as a terrorist organization by Moscow.
The documents show that Binance responded to a request from Russian law enforcement officials for Belenkiy's transaction history and sent details showing crypto transfers to the Ukrainian organizations. The information was incorporated into evidence in the case against him.
Bystrov, a lawyer specializing in cryptocurrency 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), which prohibits disclosing personal data without a court order. However, Binance disputes this view, stating that it cooperates with lawful information requests from law enforcement globally.
Many Russian citizens have used cryptocurrency exchanges to support causes labeled as extremist or terrorist by Moscow, resulting in dozens of prosecutions and convictions. The case highlights the complex issues surrounding data protection and cooperation between crypto exchanges and law enforcement agencies.