Binance handed Russian authorities a client’s personal data in a case tied to donations for the Ukrainian military

Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, reportedly provided Russian authorities with transaction records and personal data used as evidence in a terrorism-financing case against IT specialist Yuri Belenky. For high-risk operators, the point is not just the criminal allegation: it is the cross-border data transfer problem, and the awkward fact that a platform can say it left Russia while still answering Russian law enforcement requests.

1. According to Reuters, Binance shared a package of data that included transaction history showing transfers to wallets identified by Russian security services, plus personal details: date of birth, address, phone number, passport number, a copy of a Russian passport, and a copy of a Bulgarian residence permit. One document also said the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation had requested data on other people who sent funds to the same wallet.
2. Binance did not explain to Reuters whether handing over Belenky’s data could have violated GDPR. Михаил Быстров, founder of Stellar Consulting, told Reuters that the disclosure could conflict with European data protection rules if Belenky was registered as an EU resident — which, he said, was highly likely given his Bulgarian residence permit. Under GDPR, Russia is not treated as a country with an adequate level of personal data protection, making the transfer especially sensitive.
3. Binance said: “Like other global financial institutions, we cooperate with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies around the world, taking into account applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements. Decisions on such matters remain solely within the competence of the relevant authorities.”
4. Russian investigators allege that from January 2023 to March 2024, Belenky transferred about $700 in cryptocurrency for the needs of Ukrainian military personnel. In October, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation charged him with financing terrorism. He is now in a Russian pre-trial detention center awaiting trial.
5. Reuters also said Belenky has lived in Bulgaria with his family since 2015 and that he was detained at an airport on 29 September 2025, initially on the basis of profanity. Later, while in custody, he was charged with financing terrorism. Investigators say that in 2023 he sent six crypto transfers totaling 62 000 rubles to blogger Arkady Babchenko, whom Russia’s Ministry of Justice has designated a foreign agent and who was collecting donations for the Ukrainian military.

Binance said it exited the Russian market in September 2023. The documents cited by Reuters suggest that, in practice, the exchange still maintained a channel for Russian law enforcement requests: authorities were directed to case@binanceholdings.ru.