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    <p>The US has issued sanctions against a Russian businesswoman, accusing her of helping Russian oligarchs bypass sanctions via crypto exchanges, laundering their funds,&nbsp;and using Dubai to legitimize money trails.</p>
    <p>As announced on Friday by the US Treasury Department, 37-year-old Ekaterina Zhdanova is alleged to have helped international oligarchs from Russia bypass US sanctions that were implemented during the Ukraine war.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Zhdanova is said to have used crypto to move over $100 million to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on behalf of one wealthy client and allegedly offered a local tax residency service to help Russians create an origin of funds that international authorities wouldn’t question.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>According to officials, “Through key facilitators like Zhdanova, Russian elites, ransomware groups, and other illicit actors sought to evade U.S. and international sanctions, particularly through the abuse of virtual currency.”</p>
    <p>Zhdanova allegedly <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="US" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/us.html">US</a>ed sanctioned <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a> exchanges, such as Garantex, that lack anti-money <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="launder" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/launder.html">launder</a>ing (AML) and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism controls, “to facilitate large cross-border transactions.” In July, research found that Garantex was facilitating the flow of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="crypto" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/crypto.html">crypto</a>-denominated purchases for chemical precursors that make up the deadly drug fentanyl.</p>
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       Ex-NSA worker sold gov’t secrets for crypto to benefit Russia
      </blockquote><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Ex-NSA worker sold gov’t secrets for crypto to benefit Russia” — Protos" src="https://protos.com/ex-nsa-worker-sold-govt-secrets-for-crypto-to-benefit-russia/embed/#?secret=VNlVaPSGeg#?secret=wqf03OvVcA" data-secret="wqf03OvVcA" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
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    <p><em>Read more: Why do this obscure Russian exchange’s emails come from Binance?</em></p>
    <p>The Russian ransomware firm Ryuk is also said to have relied on Zhdanova to help launder stolen funds. In 2021, Ryuk reportedly made $150 million worth of bitcoin through targeted ransomware. Zhdanova is said to have laundered $2.3 million of suspected victim payments from Ryuk affiliates.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>She is also alleged to have helped a Russian client bypass sanctions by transferring $2.3 million into Western Europe via real estate and a fraudulent investment account. It’s unclear if this client is related to the Ryuk operation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
    <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-the-us-sanctions-against-the-russian-entail">What do the US sanctions against the Russian entail?&nbsp;</h2>
    <p>As a result of today’s action, “all property and interests in property of the [Zhdanova] that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and m<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="US" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/us.html">US</a>t be reported to OFAC.”&nbsp;</p>
    <p>“In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.”</p>
    <p>Any entities or persons that transact with Zhdanova under a designated set of transaction types may also find themselves sanctioned by the US.</p>
    <p><em>Got a tip? Send <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="US" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/us.html">US</a> an email or ProtonMail. For more informed news, follow <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="US" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/us.html">US</a> on&nbsp;X,&nbsp;</em><em>Instagram</em><em>,&nbsp;</em><em>Bluesky</em><em>, and&nbsp;</em><em>Google News</em><em>, or subscribe to our&nbsp;</em><em>YouTube</em><em>&nbsp;channel.</em></p>
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<p>Source: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thebittimes.com/us-sanctions-russian-woman-for-laundering-oligarch-funds-with-crypto-tbt69207.html">https://thebittimes.com/us-sanctions-russian-woman-for-laundering-oligarch-funds-with-crypto-tbt69207.html</a></p>

US sanctions Russian woman for laundering oligarch funds with crypto

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