Binance supplied Russian police with crypto donor data used in terrorism financing case
Binance handed Russian investigators details of a cryptocurrency donation that formed evidence in a terrorism-financing prosecution of IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy.
In 2023 Binance announced it was withdrawing from Russia, yet the exchange later transmitted client details to Russian law-enforcement officials concerning a cryptocurrency donation to Ukrainian military-linked charities. The data helped the Investigative Committee bring terrorism-financing charges against Yuri Belenkiy, who allegedly sent over $700 to the Azov Brigade. Binance contends it merely obeyed a legitimate request, but legal analysts argue the disclosure could breach GDPR protections for EU-resident users such as Belenkiy, who holds Bulgarian residency.
Rights monitors say dozens of Russians have been prosecuted for crypto contributions to causes the Kremlin deems extremist. Binance declined comment on the specific request, while the European Data Protection Board and Bulgaria's data authority did not respond. The case underscores the clash between crypto platforms' compliance duties and international data-privacy rules.
Why it matters
The story shows how crypto firms' data sharing can aid state prosecutions and raise cross-border privacy concerns.
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