The Myth of Anonymity: How a Crypto Exchange Leaked Data to Russian Intelligence Agencies

This story, which at first glance might have seemed like just another instance of Russian repression, actually raises a much broader question: how well protected is the personal data of users on major international cryptocurrency exchanges when Russian law enforcement agencies take an interest in it?

The man in question is 49-year-old IT specialist Yuri Belyenko, a Russian citizen with a Bulgarian residence permit. In September 2025, he was detained at a Moscow airport and later charged with "financing terrorism" due to cryptocurrency transfers in support of Ukraine. Russian investigators claim that the funds were directed, in particular, to support the Ukrainian military.

On August 17, Reuters, citing materials from the criminal case, confirmed that in 2025, Binance provided the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation with information that made it possible to link specific transactions to Belyenky. The information provided included his date of birth, address, phone number, passport details, a copy of his Russian passport and Bulgarian residence permit, as well as transaction details.

The human rights project "First Department," which received case materials from Belyenko’s relatives, claims that the scope of the information provided was even broader: KYC data, information on account balances, cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals, P2P transactions, login history, device data, geolocation, and other technical information. After receiving a response from Binance, the investigation, according to human rights activists, uncovered additional transfers and expanded the scope of the charges.