Summary
Overview
A high school student from North London has become the first teenager ever sanctioned by Russia for exposing how hostile nations use cryptocurrency to launder money and evade Western sanctions. Alex Browder, son of Bill Browder, created the largest open-source database tracking cryptocurrency money laundering by state actors, criminals, and drug dealers. His work reveals how Russia's state-backed stablecoin A7A5 processed over $100 billion in 2025 alone, becoming a primary tool for sanctions evasion and funding military operations. Despite his youth, Alex has briefed UK government agencies and organized 26 MPs to pressure authorities into sanctioning enablers, leading to his own sanctioning by Russia.
Alex's Background and Journey into Cryptocurrency Investigation
Growing up under the shadow of his father's conflict with the Kremlin and the murder of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, Alex was inspired to combat Russian aggression using his generation's strength: technology. When North Korea stole $1.5 billion from a cryptocurrency exchange in under five seconds and laundered it within 48 hours, Alex began investigating what other state actors were doing. This led him to create the largest open-source database of cryptocurrency money laundering and author a comprehensive report for the Henry Jackson Society.
- Alex's father was the largest foreign investor in Russia who exposed corruption before being declared a threat to national security
- Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was arrested, tortured for 355 days, and killed in November 2009 for helping expose corruption
- North Korea stole $1.5 billion from a cryptocurrency exchange in less than five seconds and laundered it in under 48 hours
- Alex created the largest open source database of cryptocurrency money laundering by state actors and criminals
- He authored a 100-page report on cryptocurrency laundering published by the Henry Jackson Society in March
" I'm the first high schooler ever sanctioned by Russia. "
" In 2025 alone, it processed over $100 billion in cumulative volume. Russia responded by sanctioning me. So it's clear the work has touched the nerve. "
Russia's A7A5 Stablecoin: A New Tool for Sanctions Evasion
Russia launched the A7A5 stablecoin in January 2025 through state-sanctioned entities, creating an unfrozenable cryptocurrency that has become the tool of choice for drone producers, drug dealers, and oligarchs. Unlike regular stablecoins that can be frozen by authorities, A7A5 operates beyond Western control, processing over $100 billion in cumulative volume in 2025 alone. The system relies on enablers in Kyrgyzstan, where the convicted Moldovan fraudster behind the scheme allegedly gifted the country's president a luxury jet.
- Russia launched the A7A5 stablecoin in January 2025 through sanctioned state bank PSB and convicted fraudster Ian Shaw
- Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies backed to real value like the dollar, avoiding the volatility that bad actors dislike
- Most drone producers trading with China and North Korea use A7A5 for transactions
- The stablecoin's enablers operate from Kyrgyzstan, with exchanges registered there including UK-sanctioned MIR and Grinex
- Reports suggest the mastermind gifted the Kyrgyz president a luxury jet as part of the corruption scheme
" In January 2025, the Russians launched their own stablecoin, and it's become one of their main tools for sanctions evasion. Most of the drone producers who are trying to trade with China and North Korea and other countries are using it. "
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