Binance Data Handover to Russia Leads to Ukrainian Donor's Arrest

Woofun AI reports that Binance supplied customer records to Russian authorities, which were subsequently utilized to charge IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy with financing terrorism, as detailed by Reuters. The exchange's data disclosure directly facilitated the identification and detention of the suspect, marking a significant intersection of crypto compliance and geopolitical conflict.

The specific data handed over included Belenkiy's date of birth, address, phone number, and passport number, alongside copies of his Russian passport and Bulgarian residency permit. Law enforcement documents indicate these records helped trace transfers totaling more than $700 made between January 2023 and March 2024. The payments were directed toward the Ukrainian military and a group associated with the Azov Brigade, following an appeal by exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko. Moscow classifies the Azov Brigade as a terrorist organization, forming the basis of the charges against Belenkiy.

Investigators reportedly received two responses from [email protected] after requesting Belenkiy's transaction history, an address Binance's website had previously directed Russian and Belarusian law enforcement agencies to. This disclosure occurred after Binance sold its Russian business to CommEX in September 2023, stating that operating in the country did not fit its compliance strategy. Per Woofun AI, the company's current guidelines require a valid court order, police order, or warrant before providing user information, yet it declined to discuss whether this case breached European data protection rules. Binance has not responded to inquiries at the time of writing.

The documents were obtained by The First Department, an organization that supports defendants in Russian political cases, from one of Belenkiy's relatives. Belenkiy was detained in September 2025 and remains in jail awaiting trial. This incident highlights the persistent risks for crypto users in jurisdictions with aggressive state surveillance and ambiguous data sovereignty frameworks.