U.S. Treasury Sanctions Russia-Linked A7 Network for $17 Billion in Illicit Transactions

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned the A7 Network, a shadow banking group linked to Russia, as part of Operation Economic Outcast. The network is accused of helping Russia, Iran, and other countries evade sanctions by processing over $17 billion in transactions between January 2025 and June 2026.

The proposed rule from FinCEN would ban U.S. financial institutions from sending or receiving funds tied to A7 Sub-Agents, including crypto addresses. More than 180 entities processed at least $179.1 billion in A7A5 stablecoin transactions, according to TRM Labs.

A7 was created and backed by sanctioned individuals, including Ilan Shor, a convicted fraudster. The network used custom virtual private networks to hide their location and fake trade documents to make payments look like normal business.