Binance Gave Russia Customer Data After Leaving Market

Binance provided Russian law enforcement with customer identification documents and transaction records tied to donations supporting Ukrainian military causes. The disclosures helped authorities build a terrorism case against a Russian information technology specialist.

Russia’s Investigative Committee used account data provided by Binance to build a case against 49-year-old Yuri Belenkiy, according to records reviewed by Reuters. The case concerns more than $700 in cryptocurrency that Belenkiy allegedly sent to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns.

Investigators said Belenkiy transferred the funds from January 2023 through March 2024 after responding to online appeals from exiled Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko. Authorities said the donations supported Ukrainian forces, including the Azov Brigade, which Russia has designated as a terrorist organization.

Russian law enforcement received customer verification files containing Belenkiy’s phone number, address, passport scan, and Bulgarian residency permit. Case records also included two emails sent to investigators from a Binance address. Belenkiy was arrested in September 2025 and remains imprisoned while awaiting trial.

A Binance spokesperson said the exchange processes formal law enforcement requests under applicable legal, privacy, and regulatory requirements. “Binance does not make or enforce the laws of any jurisdiction, determine charges, or decide how any government uses information in legal proceedings,” the spokesperson stated, adding: “Like other global financial institutions, we cooperate with lawful information requests from law enforcement globally, subject to applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements. Those decisions rest solely with the relevant Authorities.”

The disclosures revived questions about Binance’s continuing obligations in Russia after the company announced its departure from the country in September 2023. Cryptocurrency attorney Mike Bystrov said the exchange had no obligation to comply with requests from Russian authorities after leaving the market.

Binance CEO Richard Teng addressed the dispute in an Aug. 17 thread on X, saying the exchange follows lawful, structured procedures worldwide and works with authorities even in countries where it has no commercial operations. He said cooperation should not be interpreted as partiality toward any government. Teng stated: “Operating globally means engaging with authorities across all jurisdictions, including places where we do not operate commercially. We do not operate in the United States, for instance we respond to requests from U.S. law enforcement.”

The exchange previously faced extensive scrutiny over its compliance controls in other jurisdictions. Binance pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2023 and agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department involving anti-money laundering, sanctions, and money-transmission violations.

The U.S. Treasury Department separately detailed Binance’s failures to prevent and report prohibited transactions involving sanctioned jurisdictions and individuals. Those enforcement measures concerned transaction monitoring and prohibited financial activity, not Binance’s handling of Russian law enforcement requests.