Binance Shared User Data With Russia Before Ukrainian Donor’s Arrest

Binance reportedly provided Russian authorities with customer information that was later used in a case against a Russian IT specialist accused of financing terrorism through donations to Ukrainian organizations, according to Reuters.
The exchange identified Yuri Belenkiy as the person behind transfers totaling more than $700, Reuters reported, citing law enforcement records. Binance allegedly shared his date of birth, residential address, phone number and passport details, along with copies of his Russian passport and Bulgarian residency permit.
Russian authorities arrested Belenkiy in September 2025, and he remains in custody while awaiting trial.
Russia’s Investigative Committee alleges that Belenkiy sent the funds between January 2023 and March 2024 following an appeal from exiled Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko. Investigators said the money was intended to support Ukraine’s military and a group linked to the Azov Brigade, which Russia designates as a terrorist organization.
Investigators reportedly received two replies from an email address associated with Binance after seeking Belenkiy’s transaction records. Binance’s website had previously directed Russian and Belarusian law enforcement agencies to that address for such requests.
Under Binance’s current law-enforcement policy, the exchange says it requires valid legal documentation, such as a court order, police order or warrant, before disclosing user information in criminal investigations.
The disclosure comes despite Binance’s departure from the Russian market in September 2023, when the company sold its local business to CommEX. Binance said at the time that continuing operations in Russia was inconsistent with its compliance strategy and that it would retain neither a revenue-sharing arrangement nor an option to reacquire the business.
Binance told Reuters that it cooperates with legitimate law enforcement requests while adhering to applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements. The company declined to comment specifically on Belenkiy’s case or whether the disclosure could have violated European data-protection regulations.
CoinDesk contacted Binance for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
The documents were reportedly obtained by The First Department, an organization that assists defendants in Russian political cases, through one of Belenkiy’s relatives.