Binance provided Russia with personal data of IT specialist accused of donating to Armed Forces of Ukraine - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
According to Reuters, the crypto exchange Binance provided Russian authorities with the personal data of an IT specialist accused of making donations in support of "Azov." This data became evidence in a Russian criminal case.
The cryptocurrency exchange Binance provided Russia with the personal data of Russian national Yury Belenky, whom the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation accuses of donating to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, in particular to the First Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine, "Azov." Reuters reports, as reported by UNN.
Details
"Last year, Binance handed Russian authorities data on cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns, which were used as evidence to bring terrorism-financing charges against a Russian IT specialist," the publication writes.
It is noted that although it is standard practice for companies such as Binance to comply with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies in countries where they operate to provide customer information, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange stated in 2023 that it had completely withdrawn from Russia.
It is reported that over the past several years, many Russian citizens have used such exchanges to support movements that Moscow later recognized as extremist or terrorist.
According to human rights defenders monitoring these cases, several dozen people in Russia who made such donations have been prosecuted and convicted. Reuters was unable to establish the exact number.
The Investigative Committee of Russia, which handles investigations into serious criminal cases, stated in October that IT specialist Yury Belenky, detained in September 2025, had transferred more than $700 to the "Azov" regiment.
The documents reviewed by Reuters relate exclusively to the Belenky case, and the publication was unable to establish whether other individuals who made cryptocurrency donations were involved in the investigation by Russian law enforcement agencies, or whether Binance provided Russian law enforcement authorities with information about other users.
The First Corps of the "Azov" National Guard of Ukraine stated that it does not disclose donors' names. Belenky, who holds a Russian passport and a Bulgarian residence permit, is currently in a Russian prison awaiting trial.
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The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, will lose its authorization to serve European Union customers starting next month, as its license application will be rejected.