World · Europe · 3 hrs ago
Russian IT Specialist Sentenced to 13 Years Over Donations to Ukraine
A Russian military court sentenced IT specialist Yury Belenky to 13 years for financing terrorism.
Belenky, 49, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in September 2025 while visiting Russia; he had lived in Bulgaria since 2015.
Binance provided investigators with records of his transactions after a request from Russian authorities, and the records helped prove the case.
The records show Belenky sent more than $700 to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns, including some payments to the Azov Brigade.
He denied the charges, and the court ordered him to serve three years in prison before transferring him to a high-security penal colony.
The case highlights how cryptocurrency records can identify donors, despite some users’ belief that crypto keeps their identities secret.
Binance says it does not decide how governments use information in legal proceedings, and no further legal steps were described.
A Russian court sentenced IT specialist Yuri Belenky to 13 years in prison for financing terrorism over donations to Ukrainian causes.
The sentence includes three years in prison followed by 10 years in a high-security penal colony.
The case relied on Binance records of Belenky’s cryptocurrency transactions, which the exchange supplied to Russian investigators in response to a request.
Belenky denied the charges.
He was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in September 2025 after living in Bulgaria since 2015.
- Who
- Yuri Belenky, a 49-year-old Russian IT specialist.
- What
- He was sentenced to 13 years for financing terrorism over donations to Ukrainian causes.
- When
- The court announced the sentence on Monday, October 26, 2026.
- Where
- The Second Western District Military Court in Russia.
- Why
- The court convicted him over donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns, including transfers to an account whose details blogger Arkady Babchenko had published.
Belenky
Russian court
Charges
Belenky
Belenky denied the charges.
Russian court
The court found him guilty of financing terrorism.
Belenky began living in Bulgaria, according to Meduza.
Belenky was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport after flying to Moscow.
Binance provided Russian investigators with Belenky’s transaction history in response to a request.
The Second Western District Military Court sentenced Belenky to 13 years in prison.
- Sentence
- 13 years: three years in prison and 10 years in a high-security penal colony
- Fine
- 500,000 rubles
- Confiscated funds
- 126,000 rubles
- Detention
- Sheremetyevo Airport, September 2025
- Residency
- Bulgaria since 2015
3 sources
What people are saying
The response from Binance serves as key evidence in the criminal case against Belenkiy
thanks to a detailed report that the cryptocurrency exchange Binance sent in response to a request from the Investigative Committee
does not make or enforce the laws of any jurisdiction, determine charges or decide how any government uses information in legal proceedings.