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Russia sentences IT specialist to 13 years for Ukraine donations
In Russia, 49-year-old IT specialist Yury Belenky was sentenced to 13 years in prison for financing terrorism after sending cryptocurrency to donation campaigns in Ukraine. Belenky denied the charges in a case in which Binance provided transaction records to Russian investigators.
Cryptocurrency transfers to donation campaigns in Ukraine formed the basis for the 13-year prison sentence handed down in Russia to 49-year-old IT specialist Yury Belenky. The 2nd Western District Military Court found Belenky guilty of financing terrorism.
Under the court’s ruling, he will serve 3 years in prison and 10 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Belenky, who holds a residence permit in Bulgaria, denied the charges.
Binance records used in investigation
Belenky was detained while flying to Moscow last year and has remained in police custody since then.
Court documents state that Binance provided authorities with Belenky’s transaction history at the request of Russian investigators. The records, which included transfers sent to donation campaigns in Ukraine, played an important role in the prosecution.
The documents also state that Belenky sent more than $700 to the Ukrainian army after an online appeal by Arkady Babchenko, a Russia-born critic who supports Ukraine. Some of the payments were made to the Azov Brigade, the documents say.
Convictions over cryptocurrency donations
Organizations that monitor rights-based cases say dozens of people have been convicted in Russia in recent years over donations made through cryptocurrency platforms. The donations were directed to organizations that authorities later classified as extremist or terrorist, while some people used cryptocurrency because they believed it would allow them to keep their identities concealed.
Binance said it is not an institution that makes or enforces the laws of any country. The company also said it does not determine the charges, does not decide how governments use information obtained during legal proceedings, and does not comment on confidential law-enforcement requests or individual cases.
Data transfer debated under European law
Mike Bystrov, a lawyer specializing in cryptocurrency regulation, said Binance left Russia in 2023 after Western sanctions were imposed following the invasion of Ukraine.
Bystrov argued that the company may not have been required to share Belenky’s data. He said Binance may have been obligated not to share the data under European Union data-protection rules because Belenky holds a residence permit in Bulgaria.
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