Binance Handed Russian Authorities Yuri Belenkiy’s Crypto Donations Evidence for Ukraine Terrorism Charges

Reuters reported that Mike Bystrov, founder of law firm Stellar Consulting that advises on crypto regulation, said Binance may have had an obligation not to provide the data under European Union data protection law.

Reuters also quoted a Binance spokesperson saying, “Binance does not make or enforce the laws of any jurisdiction, determine charges, or decide how any government uses information in legal proceedings.”

Cointelegraph

CoinDesk said Binance’s website directed Russian and Belarusian law enforcement agencies to [email protected] and that investigators reportedly received two responses from that address after requesting Belenkiy’s transaction history.

Reuters reported that the European Data Protection Board declined to comment, saying responsibility for enforcement of data protection laws lies with relevant authorities in individual European states.

CoinDesk added that Binance declined to discuss whether the disclosure may have breached European data protection rules, while the case continued to hinge on the records Binance provided.

Reuters reported that Bystrov said if Belenkiy was registered with Binance as an EU resident, which he may have been given his Bulgarian residency, he would be covered by the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Reuters also said the documents seen by Reuters only relate to Belenkiy’s case, and Reuters could not determine if any other people who made donations via crypto had been drawn into the Russian law enforcement investigation.

CoinDesk reported that Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged Belenkiy made the payments between January 2023 and March 2024 after an appeal by exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.

CoinDesk said Binance’s disclosure came after Binance sold its Russian business to CommEX in September 2023 and that it had said operating in Russia was not compatible with its compliance strategy, with no ongoing revenue sharing and no option to buy back the business.