Binance, the largest crypto exchange, provided Russian authorities with a user’s transaction records and personal details, which were later used in a terrorism financing case.
The disclosure has raised questions about Binance’s Russia exit and how user data can be shared after an exchange leaves a market.
The case involves 49-year-old Russian IT worker Yuri Belenkiy. He was arrested in September 2025 and later charged with terrorism financing.
Russian investigators said Belenkiy sent more than $700 in crypto to Ukrainian fundraising groups between January 2023 and March 2024. One of the groups was linked to the Azov Regiment, which Russia has listed as a terrorist group.
The investigation then turned to Binance. Russian authorities contacted Binance through its compliance email channel and asked for Belenkiy’s transaction records. Binance shared records that showed he had made the transfers.
The information reportedly included his date of birth, home address, phone number, passport details, Russian passport copy and Bulgarian residency permit.
These Binance records were later used as evidence in the case against Belenkiy.
Binance said in September 2023 that it was leaving Russia. The company said it no longer wanted to operate in the country. It also said it would not keep making money from the Russian business or have the option to buy it back.
But the latest documents show that Russian investigators were still able to contact Binance through a special channel after the exit.
Dmitry Zair-Bek, head of the Russian legal group The First Department, questioned how users could expect their data to stay private if Binance had already said it had left Russia.
Binance said it was responding to a lawful request and does not decide how authorities use information.
“Like other global financial institutions, we cooperate with lawful information requests from law enforcement globally, subject to applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements.”
The company declined to comment on Belenkiy’s specific case.
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