Russia Accused of Using Bitcoin to Fund Teen Spies, $600M Crypto Wallet Traced to Sabotage Across Europe
Blockchain research reveals that Russian intelligence forces are using Bitcoin to fund their secret operations, exploiting teenage recruits, and conducting secret sabotage missions in Europe. The results came after the investigation of Reuters and blockchain analytics companies Global Ledger and Recoveries, which found a crypto-powered intelligence network coordinated by Russia since its Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
Based on the investigation, a Canadian teenager, Laken Pavan, having received 500 dollars in Bitcoin through a handler allegedly related to the FSB, was arrested in Poland. According to officials, the money was supposed to subsidize the effort to carry out acts of espionage, such as installing tracking gadgets around military installations and distributing propaganda against defence force personnel in Poland.
Polish courts have sentenced Pavan to various crimes related to spying. The was tracked to a bigger cryptocurrency wallet allegedly created in June 2022, several months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has been reported that several transactions upholding the same have been associated with that wallet, which holds approximately $600 million in digital value.
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