Binance Hands Over Client Details to Russian Authorities in Terrorism Financing Case

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, handed over client details to Russian authorities last year, which were used as evidence in a terrorism financing case against a Russian IT specialist.

The case involves Yuri Belenkiy, who was detained in September 2025 for sending more than $700 in cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian organizations, including the Azov Regiment, designated by Moscow as a terrorist organization.

Binance had announced it was fully exiting Russia in September 2023, citing compatibility issues with its compliance strategy and Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.

Crypto regulation lawyer Mike Bystrov 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 disclosure of personal data without a court order.