Cryptocurrency exchange Binance gave Russian security services data on one of its users. Now he’s on trial for donating to Ukraine’s military.
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, handed Russian security officials information about one of its users, IT specialist Yuri Belenky, whom Russian authorities have accused of financing terrorism over his donations to Ukraine’s armed forces, the human rights project Department One reported.
Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, provided Russian security services with details about one of its users, Yuri Belenky, who is currently on trial for allegedly financing terrorism through donations to Ukraine's military. Belenky, a Bulgarian resident living in Russia, was detained in September 2025 at Sheremetyevo Airport on charges of terrorism, initially on a minor hooliganism charge.
Between January 2023 and March 2024, Belenky transferred over 60,000 rubles in cryptocurrency to accounts linked to Ukrainian forces and a designated terrorist organization, according to Russian authorities. Binance was ordered by Russia’s federal investigating authority to share information about six of his clients who had sent funds to the wallet address highlighted by blogger Arkady Babchenko.
Binance complied and provided investigators with a detailed account of Belenky's activities on the platform. After receiving the exchange's report, the indictment against Belenky was expanded to include nine more transfers, totaling 15 transactions. Binance has faced criticism for turning over Belenky's personal data without an MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) and in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Human rights activists have expressed concern over the manner in which Russian authorities obtained Belenky's information.
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