«War» between security agencies over crypto exchangers: Moscow and Moscow Region FSB Directorate clashes with FSB Economic Security Service after mass searches in Moscow City and Gorbushka
Conflict between the Moscow and Moscow Region FSB Directorate and the FSB Economic Security Service of the Russian Federation.
It is related to operations at crypto exchangers and payment services in Gorbushka and Moscow City.
According to the source, the operations were carried out mainly by МВД officers, but all of them were coordinated by Directorate K of the FSB Economic Security Service of the Russian Federation, which organized the operation. As a result, there are currently no crypto-exchange services available at Gorbushka at all. The service has been suspended there. In Moscow City, 15 exchangers and payment services were “hit.” All of their employees were detained, but most were later released. The owner of one of the crypto platforms, Andrey Belousov, was remanded in custody, while three of his employees were placed under house arrest. “Belousov has been known in the market for more than 20 years,” the source noted. Andrey Belousov is accused of illegal banking activities. Sergey Mendeleyev, the creator of the main money-laundering platforms Garantex and ABCEX, called the arrested man his “teacher” and a “veteran of the crypto industry.”
Following the security forces’ operation, crypto exchange services directly in Moscow City were suspended for around 7–10 days. Operations were conducted on the street from cash-in-transit vehicles.
Officially, the operations were carried out as part of two separate criminal cases. The source notes that before the operations, there had been an incident that caused a stir in the market. One of the exchangers allegedly “ripped off” clients for 600 million rubles, and the son of the president of Kyrgyzstan was reportedly among the victims. Therefore, some market participants link the operations to this “scam.”
In any case, according to the source, the leadership of the Moscow and Moscow Region FSB Directorate expressed serious grievances to the FSB Economic Security Service over the operations. The official reason was that the operational and intelligence work that the Moscow and Moscow Region FSB Directorate had been conducting for a long time against the exchangers in Gorbushka and Moscow City had allegedly been disrupted. But, of course, the real reason is different...
Sources say that the conflict is gaining momentum. We are following developments.
