Russian Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Sending Crypto to Ukraine

A Russian court has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for sending cryptocurrency to the Ukrainian military. The individual, a resident of Oryol Oblast, was found guilty of transferring funds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on multiple occasions. The Federal Security Service (FSB) charged the man with treason-related offenses, highlighting an intensified crackdown on Russian supporters of Ukraine’s military forces.

The FSB likely employed sophisticated blockchain analytics tools to monitor the man's activities. These tools, initially deployed by the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) in early 2023, enable law enforcement to track individual crypto users. Additionally, Russian scientists have developed solutions to combat the use of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) by criminals. The court also imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles (approximately $6,000) on the convicted individual.

The FSB's press service alleged that the man was a member of Telegram channels operated by "Ukrainian terrorist organizations." The agency claimed that the man repeatedly transferred funds in support of these groups in 2023 and 2024, using the crypto to purchase drones, weapons, ammunition, and tactical equipment for the Ukrainian army. These items were intended to aid in military operations against Russian forces.

The court convicted the man of "high treason" and "assisting a terrorist activity," both violations of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The FSB released a video confession from the man, where he admitted to sending crypto assets to groups fighting on Ukraine’s side. The agency provided limited details about the man, noting only that he was born in 1976 and resided in Oryol.

The FSB has made numerous similar arrests in recent months. Most recently, a man in Nizhny Novgorod was arrested for sending crypto to Ukraine-based militants, who used the funds to buy drones. Another arrest on March 19 involved a man in Krasnodar Krai who provided information about a Russian military facility to Ukrainian special services. The FSB claims that Ukraine’s military uses Russian crypto donations to purchase items such as unmanned thermal imaging sights, aircraft, ammunition, and uniforms.

Other individuals charged with sending crypto to Ukrainian Armed Forces units and Russian paramilitaries based in Ukraine include a Moscow-based scientist and a resident of the Russian Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk Krai. The FSB's actions underscore the agency's commitment to cracking down on crypto-related activities that support Ukraine's military efforts, reflecting a broader trend of intensified surveillance and enforcement in Russia.