Binance Handed russia Data on a Client Who Donated to Ukrainian Military Fundraisers

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance handed russian law enforcement agencies the personal and transaction data of a client who had been sending cryptocurrency to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns. The data was used as evidence in a case against Russian IT specialist Yuri Belenky, who is charged with financing terrorism. Reuters reports this, citing documents from Russian law enforcement.

According to the investigation, Belenky transferred over $700 to support Ukrainian military forces and the affiliated organization Azov. The transfers were made between January 2023 and March 2024. The man was detained in September 2025 and is currently being held in a Russian pre-trial detention facility awaiting trial.

Russian investigators submitted a request to Binance for Belenky's transaction history. The exchange provided information confirming that he had transferred cryptocurrency to a wallet published in the Telegram channel of Russian opposition journalist Arkady Babchenko. The documents also indicate that investigators asked Binance to identify other users who had sent funds to that wallet.

Along with the transaction data, Binance shared the client's personal information with the Russian side: date of birth, address, phone number, passport number, a copy of his Russian passport, and a copy of his Bulgarian residence permit.

At the same time, Binance had announced in 2023 that it had fully exited the Russian market. The company cited its compliance strategy as the reason for leaving the country, stating that operating in Russia was inconsistent with its regulatory requirements. A Binance spokesperson told Reuters that the exchange cooperates with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies across various jurisdictions, in compliance with applicable laws, privacy requirements, and regulatory standards.