Yuriy Kobzar09:46, 15.10.23

A few days before the attack on Israel, the militants received money through a Russian crypto exchange.

The financing of the Hamas group from external sources was partly through the Moscow crypto exchange Garantex. This is written by The Wall Street Journal with reference to the analytical data of the Elliptic company.

According to analysts, shortly before the attack on Israel, $93 million was transferred to digital wallets belonging to the Islamic Jihad group, allied to Hamas. Part of these funds came through the Russian exchange Garantex.

Insiders familiar with the situation claim that Garantex has become the main channel for transactions with cryptocurrencies in Russian jurisdiction. In particular, through it, the rich withdraw money from Russia, and through it, Russian cybercriminals launder their income.

Last year, Garantex came under US sanctions for its role in circumventing Western financial sanctions. However, this did not significantly affect the activity of the stock exchange.

Despite the fact that Garantex is formally registered in Estonia, its IT infrastructure is located in Russia. Abroad, it has partnerships with resident companies in the UAE and Thailand, which are popular among Russians.

The Wall Street Journal notes that in February 2021, Garantex co-founder Stanislav Drugalev died mysteriously in Dubai. After that, his successor was “invited” to a meeting with the FSB, where they offered to share information about the exchange’s clients.

The Hamas attack on Israel is Russia’s position

As UNIAN wrote, the other day Russian dictator Vladimir Putin declared the inadmissibility of conducting a ground operation in Gaza. The person who ordered the destruction of Mariupol, Bakhmut and the whole of Ukraine in general is worried publicly about possible victims after the entry of the Israeli army into Gaza.

The next day, Hamas militants, who brutally executed Israeli civilians, thanked Putin for his stance on “ongoing Zionist aggression.”

(C)UNIAN 2023