Russian IT Specialist Sentenced for Financing Ukraine War Effort via Binance Data

Court Conviction Follows Cryptocurrency Data Transfer

A Russian military court has sentenced 49-year-old IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy to 13 years in prison for financing “terrorism.” Prosecutors argued Belenkiy transferred funds to the Ukrainian armed forces and the Azov battalion between 2022 and 2024. The court case relied on transaction history provided by the cryptocurrency exchange Binance in response to a Russian legal request.

Belenkiy, a former director at the company DiHouse, was detained in September 2025. His defense team, which denied the charges, plans to appeal. While Binance terminated its Russian operations in 2023, the exchange stated it does not comment on individual law enforcement requests. Legal experts note that since Belenkiy holds a Bulgarian residence permit, questions remain regarding the compliance of this data transfer with European Union privacy protections. Readers can monitor updates via the official Al Jazeera news portal.