US Treasury Sanctions Crypto Addresses of Russian neo-Nazi

Us Treasury continues its fight against malicious foreign actors. 

The United States Department of the Treasury, an executive agency responsible for promoting economic prosperity and ensuring the financial security of the country, has sanctioned five crypto addresses connected to Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary group.

According to the press release shared on September 15th, the Department sanctioned 22 individuals and two entities tied to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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It is believed that sanctioned individuals and entities were fulfilling the Government of the Russian Federation’s (GoR) objectives during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The list includes a neo-Nazi paramilitary group, Task Force Rusich, which fought alongside Russia’s military.

It seems that sanctioned crypto addresses belonged to Task Force Rusich. In total, the US Treasury sanctioned two Bitcoin (BTC), two Ether (ETH), and one Tether (USDT) address. According to the sources, thousands of dollars in various cryptocurrencies were transferred through these addresses, with a few of them being active in the second week of September.

Based on Telegram data, at least four of those crypto addresses are connected to a “military hardware crowdfunding campaign” launched to resupply pro-Russian troops.

The Secretary of the Treasury Department, Janet L. Yellen, noted:

The United States will continue to take strong actions to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes, atrocities and aggression. As Ukraine presses forward with defending its freedom, today we’re taking steps to further degrade Russia’s ability to rebuild its military, hold perpetrators of violence accountable, and further financially isolate Putin.

The United States Treasury has imposed these sanctions in coordination with the Commerce Department and State Department. The Commerce Department is launching a new set of export controls on Russia, whereas the State Department is “targeting Russia’s defense and high-technology industries.”

It is worth noting that on September 14th, the US Treasury sanctioned crypto addresses, individuals, and entities tied to the Iranian ransomware group.

by Gile K. – Crypto Analyst, BitDegree