A Russian citizen from the Mirninsky District of Yakutia has been sentenced to seven years in prison for supporting Ukraine using crypto.
A local media outlet reported on 14 January that the man has repeatedly transferred cryptocurrencies to Ukrainian forces and was only found out recently. He will serve his sentence in a maximum security penal colony
An act of treason
Supporting the forces of an enemy nation like Ukraine is considered an act of treason in Russia. The press service of the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) confirmed this case on 14 January.
According to the directorate, the crypto funds were sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in support of conducting reconnaissance and subversive activities against the security of the Russian Federation.
“A criminal case under Article 275 (‘High treason in the form of providing financial assistance to a foreign state, international or foreign organization or their representatives in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation’) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has been opened and investigated against a resident born in 1988.”
The culprit had allegedly joined a terrorist organization on a social network and received instructions from Ukrainian curators to send crypto funds to a particular wallet.
Interestingly, another Russian citizen resident in Yenakiyevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) was also found to have sent funds to electronic accounts for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ servicemen.
Giving crypto a bad name
To any crypto enthusiast, this news is a great setback to crypto, especially in Russia where cryptocurrencies are starting to make some progress.
Just last December, Russian businesses received the greenlight to use Bitcoin for international payments, giving much hope of the government eventually supporting the industry.
With the treason using crypto, Russia may back pedal on its progress and impose more stringent measures against cryptocurrencies.
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