Binance Provided Moscow with Client Information Intended to Bill Russia for Donations to Ukraine
According to law enforcement records, Binance provided Russian officials with information last year about cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns, which were used as proof to charge a Russian IT professional with financing terrorism.
The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the globe stated in 2023 that it had completely left Russia, despite the fact that it is customary for businesses like Binance to assist when law enforcement organizations in the nations in which they operate make valid requests to access client information.
In recent years, a large number of Russians have utilized these exchanges to support groups that Moscow later classified as terrorist or radical. According to rights advocates who monitor the cases, several dozen individuals who made such donations have been charged and found guilty in Russia. Reuters was unable to determine the exact figure.
In October, Yuri Belenkiy, an IT specialist detained in September 2025, was accused by Russia’s Investigative Committee, which deals with serious criminal cases, of sending over $700 to the Ukrainian military and an affiliated group known as the Azov Brigade and the Azov Regiment, which Moscow has designated as a terrorist organization.
According to Mike Bystrov, founder of the legal business Stellar Consulting, which offers advice on cryptocurrency governance, Binance was under no obligation to release the data because it had left Russia and might even have been required by EU data protection law not to do so.
Binance disagrees with this assessment.
“Binance does not make or enforce the laws of any jurisdiction, determine charges, or decide how any government uses information in legal proceedings,” a representative for Binance stated via email. “Subject to appropriate legal, privacy, and regulatory restrictions, we cooperate with valid information requests from law enforcement worldwide, much like other international financial institutions. The relevant authorities alone have the authority to make those choices.
The European Data Protection Board, a body established by the EU, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters over the issue, stating that the appropriate authorities in each European state are in charge of enforcing data protection laws.
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