Russia’s FSB raids Moscow City crypto exchanges, saying they were used to funnel stolen money to Ukraine. Some detainees believed they were working for the FSB.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained over 20 individuals working at crypto exchanges in Moscow's business complex. The authorities claim the exchanges were illegal and were used to funnel funds stolen from Russians to Ukraine. Over nine channels were shut down, described by the FSB as "coordinated from abroad to move funds out of the country using cryptocurrency."

These exchanges allegedly facilitated the sale of cryptocurrency to Russian citizens, including retirees misled by scammers, who then transferred the funds to Ukrainian handlers. Young people with limited financial knowledge were also recruited remotely to work at the exchanges. The Interior Ministry's investigators have opened criminal cases against the detainees, who face up to 10 years in prison.

The FSB shared video footage of the raids, showing detainees lying on the floor. One detainee claimed she was working for the FSB, while others said they were contacted by individuals identifying as FSB or Federal Financial Monitoring Service officers, who instructed them to move their money. The detainees face charges of large-scale fraud and could serve up to a decade in prison.