The European Union (EU) has imposed restrictive measures on several individuals and companies that interfered with elections and spread pro-Russia disinformation. The entities have reportedly used crypto to circumvent sanctions and accept donations.
The EU sanctioned nine individuals and six entities, including pro-Kremlin Australian influencer Simeon Boikov, also known as “AussieCossack,” for disinformation. Boikov was reportedly involved in supporting policies of the Russian federal government that “undermine or threaten democracy, the rule of law, stability or security in the Union or in third countries.”
Additionally, he was “implicated in spreading disinformation related to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, notably by paying an American influencer to post a Storm-1516 fabricated video falsely depicting voter fraud in Georgia.”
The measure targets Ilan Shor’s associates, including leaders and members of successor entities of the banned ȘOR Party, a Moldovan pro-Russian populist political party founded by Shor that was declared unconstitutional in 2023.
Notably, Shor has already been designated by the EU due to his “involvement in illegal financing of political parties in the Republic of Moldova and for incitement to violence.” Among the listed entities, the European Council also designated A7, a company founded by Shor and previously listed by the United Kingdom.
The company has multiple ties to the Russian government and has been accused of influencing Moldova’s Presidential elections and the 2024 Constitutional referendum on EU accession.
AS TMR explained, A7 was conceived as a mechanism to facilitate cross-border trades due to the sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine. The company is linked to the ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5, which was used by sanctioned crypto exchange Garantex to transfer funds to Kyrgyz exchange Grinex.
A7A5 and Grinex both have been identified by TRM Labs as being part of a new nexus of Kyrgyzstan-registered entities with cryptocurrency connections to sanctions evasion and terrorist financing, and are also likely tied to the import of dual-use goods from China to Russia through Central Asia.
Siluanov affirmed that international payments in crypto represented the future of finance, adding that the government believes “they should be expanded and developed further.”
