{"id":29768,"date":"2026-05-26T18:43:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/uk-targets-uae-georgia-linked-crypto-firms-tied-to-russia-network\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:43:34","slug":"uk-targets-uae-georgia-linked-crypto-firms-tied-to-russia-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/uk-targets-uae-georgia-linked-crypto-firms-tied-to-russia-network\/","title":{"rendered":"UK targets UAE, Georgia-linked crypto firms tied to Russia network"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Britain has imposed sanctions on several crypto-related firms and financial networks linked to Russia, including entities registered in the United Arab Emirates and Georgia, as part of a new crackdown on sanctions evasion tied to Moscow\u2019s war economy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_e7c90c2f4254263138ef1d2791d7b2e9\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Britain sanctioned crypto firms and financial networks linked to Russia, including entities registered in the UAE, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan.<\/li>\n<li>UK authorities said the Kremlin-backed A7 network was used to bypass sanctions, route payments, and support Russia\u2019s war-related procurement activity.<\/li>\n<li>Earlier this year, Britain moved to dissolve Zedxion after investigations linked the exchange to roughly $1 billion in IRGC-connected transactions.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/uk-cracks-down-on-backdoor-russian-sanctions-evasion-with-tough-new-measures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">According<\/a> to the UK government, the latest sanctions package freezes assets connected to the Kremlin-backed A7 network and blocks British firms from maintaining correspondent banking relationships or processing payments involving the targeted entities.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc7e\u00a0SANCTIONED:\u00a0Crypto and illicit finance networks exploited by Russia to circumvent UK sanctions.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>We are tracking down and shutting off the financial lifelines that sustain Putin\u2019s war machine. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mpN815Ab8O\">pic.twitter.com\/mpN815Ab8O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FCDOGovUK\/status\/2059256670702723404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>British authorities said the network had been used to move funds through foreign financial systems, support procurement activity, and bypass restrictions imposed after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside traditional financial institutions, the measures also cover crypto exchanges and companies operating Russia-focused payment platforms. A Kyrgyz bank and several businesses registered in the UAE and Georgia were included in the action, while multiple individuals tied to the network also faced sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<p>In a statement released on Tuesday, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was working with allied countries to \u201cexpose, disrupt and dismantle\u201d financial channels supporting Russia\u2019s military operations in Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will continue to act fast and decisively, alongside our allies, to expose, disrupt, and dismantle these networks, and ensure those enabling Russia\u2019s aggression face consequences,\u201d said Cooper.<\/p>\n<p>The action arrives as Western governments continue tightening oversight of crypto platforms accused of facilitating restricted transactions involving sanctioned states and entities.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Britain expands scrutiny of crypto payment networks<\/h2>\n<p>British officials described the sanctioned entities as part of what they called \u201cshadow financial systems\u201d operating outside traditional compliance frameworks.<\/p>\n<p>According to the UK government, the A7 network played a role in rerouting transactions and maintaining access to foreign banking infrastructure despite existing sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Britain has recently stepped up investigations into crypto firms allegedly linked to Iran and Russia-linked financial flows.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in March, Companies House moved to dissolve crypto exchange Zedxion after authorities concluded that information submitted during incorporation was \u201cmisleading, false or deceptive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project previously reported that Zedxion\u2019s listed director, Elizabeth Newman, was likely a fabricated identity. According to the investigation, the platform also used stock photographs in promotional materials tied to the supposed executive profile.<\/p>\n<p>Separate analysis published by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs found that Zedxion and its affiliated platform Zedcex processed roughly $1 billion connected to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n<p>TRM Labs said those transactions accounted for about 56% of the exchanges\u2019 total volume before rising to nearly 87% in 2024, when IRGC-linked flows reached around $619.1 million.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russian fuel restrictions remain under phased implementation<\/h2>\n<p>The sanctions package was announced less than a week after Britain delayed a planned ban on diesel and jet fuel imports refined from Russian crude in third countries. UK authorities said the postponement was intended to reduce supply pressure rather than soften the country\u2019s position on sanctions enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>British officials maintained that the fuel restrictions would still move forward under what they described as a phased implementation process. At the same time, London has continued targeting payment networks, shell entities, and cross-border financial systems that authorities believe help Russia maintain trade and procurement activity despite international restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Britain has imposed sanctions on several crypto-related firms and financial networks linked to Russia, including entities registered in the United Arab Emirates and Georgia, as part of a new crackdown&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29770,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29768\/revisions\/29770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}