Russia Sanctions British Teenager Who Alleged A7A5 Stablecoin Helped Fund Ukraine War

A7A5 is a ruble-pegged stablecoin launched in 2025. According to a report written for the Henry Jackson Society by 17-year-old British student Alexander Browder, its reserves are linked to sanctioned Russian state-owned defense bank Promsvyazbank, or PSB. The report said A7A5 allowed Russia to circumvent restrictions imposed by the UK, US and European Union and channel funds to its war against Ukraine, highlighting the risk that crypto assets could undermine financial sanctions.

Browder published the report in March 2026, estimating that A7A5 processed about $100 billion in transactions during 2025, mostly through exchanges in Kyrgyzstan. On June 3, Russia's Foreign Ministry placed him and four other British nationals on an entry ban list, including Washington Post journalist Catherine Belton and i Paper journalist Richard Holmes. The ministry denounced the report as "defamatory speculation and false information."