US sanctions Russian woman for laundering oligarch funds with crypto
The US has issued sanctions against a Russian businesswoman, accusing her of helping Russian oligarchs bypass sanctions via crypto exchanges, laundering their funds, and using Dubai to legitimize money trails. 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. 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. 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.” Zhdanova allegedly US ed sanctioned crypto exchanges, such as Garan...