Binance Cooperates with Russian Law Enforcement, Hands Over Client Data

The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, handed over details of Russian client transactions to Moscow authorities last year. The information was used as evidence in a case against a Russian IT specialist accused of terrorism financing.

Yuri Belenkiy, a 49-year-old resident of Bulgaria and holder of a Russian passport, is now awaiting trial in a Russian jail after being detained in September 2025. He allegedly sent over $700 to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns between January 2023 and March 2024.

Binance had previously announced that it was fully exiting Russia in September 2023 due to compatibility issues with its compliance strategy. However, documents obtained by Reuters show that the exchange cooperated with Russian law enforcement officials in Belenkiy's case, providing transaction history details.