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Binance data in case
Binance last year handed Russian authorities details of cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns that were used as evidence to bring terrorism financing charges against Russian IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy, Reuters reported Aug 17.
“Binance last year handed Russian authorities details of cryptocurrency donations”
Reuters said the Russian Investigative Committee alleged in October that Belenkiy, detained in September 2025, sent more than $700 to the Ukrainian military and an associated group known at different times as the Azov Brigade and the Azov Regiment, which Moscow designates as a terrorist organisation.
Reuters reported that Binance told it the exchange “cooperate[s] with lawful information requests from law enforcement globally,” while also saying it had fully exited Russia in 2023.
The case file described by Reuters was obtained by The First Department, which provides legal support to people in Russia being prosecuted in political cases, and Reuters said it could not independently confirm how the NGO received the documents.
CoinDesk, citing Reuters, said Binance identified Belenkiy as the source of transfers worth more than $700 and that he remains in jail awaiting trial.
Binance disputes, GDPR questioned
Reuters reported that Mike Bystrov, founder of law firm Stellar Consulting that advises on crypto regulation, said Binance may have had an obligation not to provide the data under European Union data protection law.
Reuters also quoted a Binance spokesperson saying, “Binance does not make or enforce the laws of any jurisdiction, determine charges, or decide how any government uses information in legal proceedings.”
CoinDesk said Binance’s website directed Russian and Belarusian law enforcement agencies to [email protected] and that investigators reportedly received two responses from that address after requesting Belenkiy’s transaction history.
Reuters reported that the European Data Protection Board declined to comment, saying responsibility for enforcement of data protection laws lies with relevant authorities in individual European states.
CoinDesk added that Binance declined to discuss whether the disclosure may have breached European data protection rules, while the case continued to hinge on the records Binance provided.
What happens next
Reuters said Belenkiy holds a Russian passport and a Bulgarian residency permit and is now in a Russian jail awaiting trial, with a lawyer for the 49-year-old not responding to Reuters questions.
“Belenkiy, who holds a Russian passport and a Bulgarian residency permit, is now in a Russian jail awaiting trial”
Reuters reported that Bystrov said if Belenkiy was registered with Binance as an EU resident, which he may have been given his Bulgarian residency, he would be covered by the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Reuters also said the documents seen by Reuters only relate to Belenkiy’s case, and Reuters could not determine if any other people who made donations via crypto had been drawn into the Russian law enforcement investigation.
CoinDesk reported that Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged Belenkiy made the payments between January 2023 and March 2024 after an appeal by exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.
CoinDesk said Binance’s disclosure came after Binance sold its Russian business to CommEX in September 2023 and that it had said operating in Russia was not compatible with its compliance strategy, with no ongoing revenue sharing and no option to buy back the business.
