Last year, Binance provided Russian law enforcement agencies with information about cryptocurrency donations made by Yuriy Belyenkyi to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns, according to documents seen by Reuters. The transaction data formed part of the evidence in a case in which Russian investigators charged the 49-year-old IT specialist with financing terrorism. He is currently in custody in Russia and awaiting trial.
Briefly about the main points
- Binance has provided the Russian Federation with Yuriy Bilenkyi’s transaction history.
- The information was included in the case file relating to the charge of financing terrorism.
- The investigators also obtained the client’s passport and contact details.
- Binance cited its cooperation with legitimate requests from law enforcement agencies.
- Reuters has not been able to confirm Bilenkyi’s status as an EU client.
The transactions have been included in the prosecution’s case file
In October 2025, the Russian Investigative Committee stated that Belyenky had transferred more than 700 dollars to the Ukrainian military and to an organisation linked to them, which Moscow considers to be a terrorist organisation. According to the investigation, the payments were made between January 2023 and March 2024 following an online appeal by Arkady Babchenko.
Documents seen by Reuters show that details of transactions via Binance have been included in the case file. An interim report on the case, sent to the offices of the Russian Prosecutor General, cites these transfers as grounds for bringing charges.
Belenky was detained in September 2025. He holds a Russian passport and a Bulgarian residence permit; his lawyer did not respond to questions from Reuters regarding the case and the role of the exchange.
The investigators obtained the client’s contact details and documents
Russian law enforcement agencies asked Binance for Belyenky’s transaction history. In response, the exchange provided information confirming his transfers to the wallets of Ukrainian organisations.
Two replies were received from the email address case@binanceholdings.ru. Reuters found a recommendation on the company’s website advising law enforcement agencies in Russia and Belarus to use this address for enquiries.
The file also contained Bilenkyi’s date of birth, address, telephone number and passport details, as well as copies of his Russian passport and Bulgarian residence permit. Separately, the investigators requested that the identities of the other senders to the wallet published by Babchenko be disclosed; however, the documents do not contain the outcome of this request.
Binance’s stance and its announced withdrawal from Russia
Binance stated that it does not make laws, does not bring charges and does not determine how the authorities use information in legal proceedings. The company said that, like other global financial institutions, it cooperates with legitimate requests from law enforcement agencies, taking into account applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements.
The exchange did not comment on the specific enquiry or individual case. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Binance announced the sale of its Russian business, and in September 2023 it announced its complete withdrawal from the country — without any distribution of profits or a right of repurchase.
Reuters previously reported that in 2021, a regional head at Binance met with officials from the Russian financial intelligence unit who wanted to identify Bitcoin donors to Alexei Navalny’s campaign. At the time, the company stated that the Russian authorities had not approached it regarding the opposition figure.
The issue of data protection remains unresolved
Mike Bystrov, a lawyer specialising in crypto regulation, believes that if Belenky had been registered with Binance as an EU resident, he might have been subject to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. In his view, the transfer of personal data to Russia without a court order under such circumstances would be legally complex, particularly as Russia is not considered a country with an adequate level of data protection.
Binance disputed Bystrov’s interpretation regarding a possible obligation not to disclose information, but did not say whether it would consider the transfer of data to be a breach of the GDPR. Reuters was unable to establish whether Belyenky was registered as an EU client. The European Data Protection Board declined to comment on the case, noting that national authorities in EU member states are responsible for enforcing the rules.
