Reuters: Binance Gave Russia Identity Data on a User Who Funded Ukraine's Military

According to a Reuters investigation reported by Arzdigital on Monday, 26 Mordad 1405 (August 17, 2026), cryptocurrency exchange Binance provided Russian authorities with identity information and transaction records for Yuri Belenkiy, a Russian IT specialist based in Bulgaria. The data included his home address, phone number, date of birth, and passport and Bulgarian residency details, and was later used as part of a terrorism financing case against him in Russia.

Per documents reviewed by Reuters, Belenkiy is accused of transferring more than 700 dollars in cryptocurrency to wallets promoted by exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko for the purchase of medical equipment for Ukrainian forces. Belenkiy is currently in detention in Russia. Binance has not commented on the case's details but said that, like other financial institutions, it cooperates with lawful requests from law enforcement within privacy regulations, while it remains unclear whether EU data protection rules apply in the case.