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A massive leak of internal documents from a Putin ally’s firm details a sophisticated financial network. It reveals how $8 billion in crypto became the lifeblood for sanctions evasion and political manipulation in Moldova. Summary Leaked files show Ilan Shor’s A7 group moved $8 billion in stablecoins to evade sanctions and influence Moldova’s politics. Documents tie A7 to Russia’s Promsvyazbank and detail a mix of cash, notes, and crypto for cross-border payments. The leaks reveal A7A5, a ruble-backed stablecoin built to bypass sanctions with billions in trading volume On Sept. 26, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic flagged a trove of leaked data from businesses controlled by Ilan Shor, the sanctioned Moldovan oligarch and Kremlin ally. The files, leaked earlier this month, provide an unprecedented look inside the A7 group, a Russia-based operation specializing in “sanctions evasion-as-a-service.” Elliptic’s analysis of the data identifies crypto wallets that have processed a staggering $8 billion in stablecoin transactions over the past 18 months, tracing the digital money flow from Russian entities to political operations in Moldova just as the country holds its parliamentary elections. How Shor built A7 into a sanctions-busting hub Shor’s pivot to crypto was a strategic evolution born of necessity. After being convicted in 2017 for his role in the theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks, he fled to Israel and later Russia, which granted him citizenship. The United States sanctioned him in 2022 for his efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy. From this position as a sanctioned fugitive, Shor founded the A7 group in 2024, creating a formalized structure for the expertise he had cultivated. According to Elliptic, the company is partially owned by Russia’s state-owned Promsvyazbank (PSB), a bank itself sanctioned for financing Russia’s defense industry, cementing A7’s role as a de facto arm of the state’s financial warfare apparatus.…

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Filed under: News - @ September 27, 2025 12:26 am