Anna Hartz
How a Fugitive Oligarch Is Using Crypto to Help Russia Evade Sanctions
Cryptocurrencies have changed how money moves around the world. With blockchain technology, you don’t need a bank or government to approve a transfer.
You can send money directly to someone else, no questions asked. That makes it easier for regular people to buy and sell online.
But it also opens the door for criminals to move huge sums without anyone noticing.
One man taking full advantage of this is Ilan Shor. He’s a Moldovan-Israeli businessman wanted for fraud and political corruption, writes El Economista.
He was behind Moldova’s “heist of the century,” where $1 billion disappeared from state banks in 2014.
After escaping house arrest, he fled to Russia. Now he’s working to help the Kremlin avoid Western sanctions.
Shor has started a company called A7. It launched in late 2024 and has one clear mission.
To help Russian businesses and banks move money internationally, even though they’re banned from doing so under current sanctions.
A Coin Backed by the Russian Ruble
Shor’s company created a cryptocurrency called A7A5 in January 2025. The coin is backed by the Russian ruble and registered in Kyrgyzstan.
Each coin is worth one ruble. It pays interest every day to people who hold it. The company says half of its profits from overnight deposits go back to its users.
A7A5 is now trading on major crypto platforms like Uniswap and Curve. People use decentralized wallets to send it across borders.
The coin can also be converted into dollars or other currencies through exchanges.
Easy to Go Unnoticed
This crypto project is already being used for billions in transactions. On some days, trading volume has hit $10 billion.
The coin is listed on a Kyrgyz exchange called Meer, which does not follow Western financial rules. That makes it easy to cash out without restrictions.
A7 is mixing old-fashioned money systems with new crypto tools. According to researchers, it’s allowing large amounts of money to move in and out of Russia without detection.
That poses a serious problem for the global effort to enforce sanctions. And it shows how digital finance is changing the rules faster than regulators can keep up.
