Law & Justice

Russian Court Sentences IT Specialist to 13 Years for Ukraine Donations

By Heba Habib

A Russian military court sentenced 49‑year‑old Yuri Belenkiy to 13 years in prison for financing “terrorism” after the cryptocurrency exchange Binance supplied investigators with details of his donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns. The 2nd Western District Military Court convicted Belenkiy on Monday, giving him three years in prison followed by 10 years in a strict‑regime penal colony, and a fine of 500,000 roubles ($6,300). Prosecutors had sought a 14‑year sentence. Belenkiy, a former IT director at DiHouse and holder of a Bulgarian residence permit, was detained in September last year when he flew to Moscow for a visit. He denied the charges and his defence will appeal. RIA Novosti reported that between August 2022 and March 2024 Belenkiy made 15 cryptocurrency transfers totaling more than 120,000 roubles ($1,500) to fund Ukraine’s armed forces and the Azov battalion, which Russia designates a terrorist organization. He used payment details posted by exiled journalist Arkady Babchenko. Belenkiy is listed by the Russian financial monitoring agency as a “terrorist and extremist.” Documents seen by Reuters show that Binance provided investigators with Belenkiy’s transaction history after a Russian request, and that the records were key evidence in the case. Belenkiy’s defence questioned the source of the data, noting Binance has not cooperated with Russia since 2022. Binance, which exited the Russian market in 2023, said it does not comment on confidential law‑enforcement requests or individual cases. A lawyer for the rights group First Department said the exchange had no obligation to provide the data and may have been bound by EU data‑protection law. First Department reported that about 10 percent of all treason and espionage charges in 2025 were linked to donations to Ukrainian organizations, noting that authorities continue to open cases over donations made as early as 2022.