A Russian court has extended the detention period of a commercial pilot who was arrested for allegedly sending crypto to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested the man in Krasnodar, Southern Russia, on suspicion of “treason” late last month.
Pilot Sent Crypto to Ukraine, FSB Claims
At the end of January, a court ruled that the FSB could hold the pilot in custody until February 16, 2025.
A public square in Krasnodar, Russia. (Source: Maska999 [CC BY-SA 4.0])But the Russian state-aligned newspaper RIA Novosti, citing a “source in the security agencies,” said a court had extended the detention period “until April 16.”
The FSB claims that the pilot converted rubles into an unnamed “cryptocurrency” on “an online platform.”
The agency said the man was “the captain of a civil aircraft.” It claimed that the suspect “contacted a person involved in collecting funds for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The FSB claims that the pilot then “followed the contact’s instructions” to “exchange Russian rubles for cryptocurrency via an internet platform.”
The pilot then reportedly “transferred the coins” to a “specified” crypto wallet operated by Ukrainian military personnel.
Hundreds of Russians Charged With Helping Ukraine Army
In January, Reuters (via CNN) reported that per the Russian legal association Pervy Otdel, the Russian authorities have charged 792 people with “treason, espionage, or cooperating with a foreign state” since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022.
This number includes scores of crypto-related cases. The Armed Forces of Ukraine has been using crypto wallets as donation platforms since early 2022.
Crypto Donations
Many Russians sympathetic to Ukraine appear to have used these channels to donate crypto.
However, the FSB and police agencies claim they have sophisticated blockchain analytics tools that let them monitor transactions on major protocols.
This, they claim, has helped them identify and arrest Russia-based individuals who have sent money to Ukrainian military wallets.
In recent months, the FSB has arrested and charged a Moscow-based scientist for similar alleged crimes.
It has also arrested a resident of Khabarovsk Krai on similar charges, as well as a diamond miner, who was arrested last month.
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