Archived Binance Records Used in Russian Terrorism Case

Russian investigators incorporated archived customer and transaction records from Binance into a terrorism‑financing case that resulted in the September 2025 detention of Yuri Belenkiy, according to law enforcement documents.

Belenkiy, a 49‑year‑old Russian passport holder with a Bulgarian residence permit, is accused of sending more than $700 in cryptocurrency to recipients in Ukraine between January 2023 and March 2024. Authorities allege the transfers supported a group tied to the Azov unit, which Russian law designates a terrorist organization. He remains jailed awaiting trial and the allegations have not been judged in court.

Binance announced the sale of its Russian business to CommEX on Sept. 27, 2023 and presented the transaction as an exit from the market. A later law enforcement request produced a file sent from an address using the binanceholdings.ru domain that included Belenkiy’s date of birth, residential address, phone number, passport number and copies of his passport and Bulgarian residence permit. Investigators requested records for other customers who transferred funds to the same wallet; it is unclear whether those users were identified.

A public blockchain records transfers between addresses, not individual names. Exchanges collect identity documents and link deposit addresses to customer files. When those know‑your‑customer records are matched with transaction logs, investigators can reconstruct account activity that took place years earlier.

Binance’s public guidelines state the company cooperates with lawful law enforcement requests under applicable legal, privacy and regulatory requirements. The guidelines say officials must provide supporting documents and a valid court order, police order or warrant from a competent jurisdiction. Preservation requests hold records for 90 days and can be renewed, and companies may require extra information to confirm a disclosure is lawful or refrain from notifying the user if a valid order bars notice.

Public records do not identify which Binance legal entity held Belenkiy’s account, which legal regime compelled production of the data, or whether he received notice of the request. The documents do not show that Binance continued local trading operations after the sale.

Because Belenkiy holds a Bulgarian residence permit, questions arise about whether EU data rules applied. A residence card by itself does not prove an account was controlled by an EU entity. If an EU entity had controlled the account, transfers of personal data outside the bloc would require a legal basis and safeguards such as an adequacy decision, approved safeguards or a valid derogation. EU rules also allow refusal of erasure when processing is required by law or needed for legal claims; some financial firms must retain customer details for set periods.

Technologists are exploring identity methods, including zero‑knowledge proofs, that let customers demonstrate attributes without handing verifiers full copies of identity documents. Such approaches aim to reduce how many intermediaries hold complete identity files while meeting anti‑money‑laundering requirements.

The sale and wind‑down of local services removed on‑the‑ground operations in Russia, while legal recordkeeping obligations mean personal data created while the platform was active can remain accessible to law enforcement after a market exit.