Binance provided Russian authorities with crypto donation details that led to terrorism financing charges

A Russian IT specialist has been charged with financing terrorism after Binance shared cryptocurrency donation details with Russian authorities. The case, involving roughly $6,500 in crypto raised over the span of a year, puts a spotlight on the quiet but consequential data-sharing relationship between the world’s largest crypto exchange and one of the world’s most aggressive surveillance states. The suspect, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was arrested in Kaspiysk, a city in Russia’s Dagestan region. According to a report from Russian state news agency TASS on February 16, 2026, Russia’s Federal Security Service (the FSB) alleged the individual solicited donations through social media while living in Turkey between October 2022 and October 2023. What the FSB alleges The charges center on a relatively modest sum. Approximately $6,500 in cryptocurrency was reportedly raised through wallet addresses posted on social media platforms. The FSB claims those funds were forwarded to armed groups to purchase weapons and equipment. Neither the specific armed organizations nor the cryptocurrency tokens involved have been publicly identified. The suspect was charged with assist...