'I'm Proud': UK Teen Sanctioned By Putin After Exposing Crypto Network Funding Ukraine War

'I'm Proud': UK Teen Sanctioned By Putin After Exposing Crypto Network Funding Ukraine War Published By Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 19:11 IST Russia sanctions 17-year-old Alexander Browder after his report on A7A5 crypto laundering and war financing. His father was sanctioned by Kremlin in 2005. British schoolboy Alexander Browder has become the first child sanctioned by Russia. (Image: Politics UK/X) Russia has sanctioned dissidents for years. This time, however, President Vladimir Putin has personally targeted a 17-year-old British boy who exposed an illegal cryptocurrency operation in the country. The Sun quoted the foreign ministry accusing Alexander Browder of “circulating defamatory speculations and false information about the policy of authorities". Russia on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Browder, likely to be the youngest person, after he allegedly wrote a report for a think-tank exposing the way cash was being laundered via the Ruble-backed A7A5 cryptocurrency to finance the war on Ukraine. He is the son of Sir Bill Browder, a human-rights activist and co-founder of Hermitage Capital Management. The report, titled “Confronting the Illicit-Finance Hydra in Crypto Markets: Protecting Retail Investors and Disrupting Hostile Government Exploitation," was published by the Henry Jackson Society think-tank in March, The Sun reported. In response to the sanctions, Alexander told The Times that sanctions “don’t intimidate" him as it shows that he has “touched a nerve" with his work. “It has only made me more excited to try and expose more of this," the teen added. In a post on X, he said: “The Russian government has just announced that I have been added to their sanctions list for my work exposing their sanctions evading cryptocurrency A7A5…" “[I am] Proud to be the first high school student in the world to ever be sanctioned by an authoritarian regime for uncovering corruption," he added. With this, five British nationals have been barred from entering Russia. Interestingly, Alexander’s father, a British-American, has also been banned from Russia since 2005 as he had also exposed Kremlin corruption and was even the brain behind the Magnitsky Act which freezes Russian officials’ offshore wealth. What Report Stated According to The Sun, Alexander unveiled information on how $350 billion had been laundered by various states including Russia, Iran and North Korea. He said A7A5, a type of digital currency that has a stable value by pegging to fiat currencies, was “one of the most prevalent issues facing the West" in the fight against laundering." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: London, United Kingdom (UK) First Published: June 04, 2026, 19:11 IST News world 'I'm Proud': UK Teen Sanctioned By Putin After Exposing Crypto Network Funding Ukraine War Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...