Binance Data Snares Donor of Crypto to Ukraine Amid Terrorism Charges
The case of Yuri Belenky, an IT specialist arrested in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in September 2025, has sparked concerns about user privacy protections on Binance. The exchange shared detailed user data with Russian authorities that led to expanded terrorism financing charges against Belenky.
Belenky had been living in Bulgaria since 2015 and held Bulgarian residency. He was initially charged with petty hooliganism before investigators escalated the case to terrorism financing.
According to court documents, Russian investigators sent a request to Binance in October 2025 asking for information on clients who had transferred funds to a cryptocurrency wallet publicized by blogger Arkady Babchenko. The Investigative Committee cited ongoing terrorism-related criminal cases in its request.
Binance provided a file containing Belenky's complete account history, including personal data, scans of his passport and residency permit, account balances, internal transfers, and full cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal records.