Russia sanctioned 17 year old British researcher Alexander Browder after he published a report alleging that Moscow linked actors used crypto networks and stablecoins to evade Western financial restrictions.
Browder, founder of the Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database, was added to Russia’s sanctions list alongside several other UK nationals, including Washington Post journalist Catherine Belton.
Moscow accused him of spreading false information about Russian policy, while Browder said the move showed his research had hit a sensitive point.
His report, published by the Henry Jackson Society in March, examined 164 crypto laundering cases across 20 years and estimated that about $350 billion in illicit funds had moved through digital assets.
The report said stablecoins have become increasingly important to criminal groups and hostile governments because they offer less volatility than Bitcoin while still operating across global crypto rails.
