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Binance provided Russian investigators with personal and transaction records belonging to IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy that were later incorporated into a criminal case accusing him of financing terrorism through cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian-linked fundraising campaigns.
The exchange supplied the records after announcing its full exit from Russia in September 2023. Belenkiy, a Russian citizen with a Bulgarian residency permit, remains jailed awaiting trial over transfers worth more than $700.
Investigators Received Passport Records and Transaction History
Russian investigators requested records linked to Belenkiy after tracing cryptocurrency sent to a wallet promoted by exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko. Law-enforcement documents indicate that Binance provided transaction records linking Belenkiy to the transfers as the account holder behind them.
The records included his date of birth, address, telephone number and passport number, along with copies of his Russian passport and Bulgarian residency permit. Investigators later cited Binance transaction data as grounds supporting the terrorism-financing charge.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said in October 2025 that Belenkiy made payments between January 2023 and March 2024 following an online appeal from Babchenko. Russian authorities allege the money supported Ukraine’s military and the Azov unit, which Moscow designates as a terrorist organization.
Binance Says it Responds to Lawful Law-Enforcement Requests
Binance said it cooperates with lawful information requests from law-enforcement agencies globally, subject to applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements. Its current law-enforcement portal says requests are reviewed case by case and information is disclosed where legally required.
The exchange declined to discuss Belenkiy’s individual case. Documents show investigators also asked Binance to identify other users who sent cryptocurrency to a wallet promoted by Babchenko, but it remains unclear whether additional donors were identified.
Data Disclosure Came After Binance’s September 2023 Russia Exit
Binance announced in September 2023 that it was selling its Russian business to CommEX, saying operating in the country no longer fit its compliance strategy. The company said the agreement included no continuing revenue share or option to repurchase the business.
Belenkiy’s Bulgarian residency has also raised a potential EU privacy-law question. A crypto-regulation lawyer said GDPR protections could apply if Belenkiy was registered with Binance as an EU resident, though his account status could not be confirmed and no regulator has found a GDPR breach.
Belenkiy remains in custody awaiting trial. It is also unresolved whether Binance’s response to Russian investigators identified any additional crypto donors.
