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Global Witness urges UK authorities to investigate links between illicit crypto exchanges and Russian security services

Hacks • November 22, 2019, 12:52PM EST
  The Block

Quick Take

  • Russian national Alexei Bilyuchenko was identified as the technological architect of BTC-e and World Exchange Services (WEX), the notorious Russian-language exchanges where $450 million worth of cryptocurrency disappeared

  • The Federal Security Service (FSB)-Bilyuchenko case reveals rising tensions among Russian security agencies in cyberspace, according to cyber expert Kimberly Zenz

  • A recent Global Witness report on the BTC-e investigation highlights the common practice of using anonymous companies to commit cyber-related crimes and urges UK law enforcement to take responsibility for the probe

Timothy Lloyd is a contributing writer for The Block. His work has also been featured in Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, InSight Crime and the Wall Street Journal. He is based out of Austin, and he once played the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA to a draw in Chess. Just days […]

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