Get you up to speed: ‘Russia’s sanctioned me for exposing a criminal crypto network – they don’t intimidate me’ | News UK
Russia’s foreign ministry has sanctioned British teenager Alexander Browder for exposing a network of illicit cryptocurrency, alongside five other British nationals. Browder, the son of Putin critic Sir Bill Browder, stated that the sanction is a “badge of honour” and confirmed that he remains unfazed by the announcement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expanded its sanctions to include six British nationals, citing allegations of spreading misinformation. This action follows the investigation into the A7A5 criminal network, linked to over $350 billion in illicit cryptocurrency laundering, conducted by Alexander Browder, who began his inquiries approximately 1.5 years ago.
Russia’s foreign ministry has announced sanctions against British teenager Alexander Browder and five other UK nationals, labelling them as spreaders of ‘misinformation’. The ministry warned that further actions by British political elites aimed at inciting ‘Russophobia’ will provoke a decisive response from Russia.
What remains unclear — The Russian foreign ministry did not specify the criteria used to sanction the additional British nationals listed alongside Alexander Browder.
Russia sanctions British teenager for exposing cryptocurrency network
Russia’s foreign ministry has sanctioned the British teenage son of a prominent Vladimir Putin critic after he exposed a network of illicit cryptocurrency.
Alexander Browder, the 17-year-old son of Putin critic Sir Bill Browder, has been listed along with five other British nationals for spreading ‘misinformation’.
The teenager told WTX the sanction is a ‘badge of honour’, and that he’s ‘unfazed’ by the announcement.
The report which got Alexander sanctioned found around $350 billion in illegal funds laundered by countries including Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
The Kremlin had orchestrated the laundering of more than half of the funds through a criminal network called A7A5.
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Alexander told WTX: ‘The sanctions don’t intimidate me. It tells me I’ve touched a nerve with my work. If the Kremlin are angry about my work on crypto laundering, then I’m looking in the right place. It’s unprecedented to sanction a seventeen-year-old. It’s clear I’m doing the right thing.’
Alexander began looking into the cryptocurrency network, which is allowing Russia to fund its war in Ukraine and allow sanctioned individuals to ‘thrive’, around 1.5 years ago.
He explained: ‘A7A5 has been one of the most significant developments in Russian sanction evasion. The fact that Russia has sanctioned me now only gives my work more credibility.
‘Now, the only option is to put more pressure on them. Individuals will be more frightened to cooperate with A7A5 after this. It’s clearly scaring them. That’s the only way we can take it down.
‘The Kremlin’s message to me is that I should stop. But my answer to that is: I’ll continue with more rigour.’
Alexander isn’t the only British national who was sanctioned by the Russian Foreign Ministry today.
Tass reported that Catherine Belton, a Washington Post reporter, and Alice Mary Laugher, managing director of the Committed to Good company, a Chelsea Group subsidiary.
Also included were Richard Nicholas Westbury, a founder and board chairman of Chelsea Group, and Richard Holmes, a reporter of Britain’s iPaper.
“In response to these hostile actions, it was decided to expand the Russian stop list with several representatives of the British journalistic and expert community involved in the dissemination of slanderous speculation and false information about the policy of the Russian leadership and socio-political events in our country,’ the foreign ministry said.
‘We warn you that any efforts by the British political elites to further incite Russophobia, deliberately damage our country’s international reputation and unleash the anti-Russian sanctions flywheel will inevitably receive a decisive rebuff,’ it added.