Russia sanctions 17‑year‑old Brit student over crypto report

A 17-year-old British student has been sanctioned by Russia, becoming what is believed to be the youngest person ever targeted by Moscow's sanctions regime. Alexander Browder was named alongside four other British nationals by Russia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, banning them all from entering the country.

The sanctions are a direct response to a report authored by Browder and published in March by the foreign policy think tank The Henry Jackson Society. The report, titled "Confronting the Illicit-Finance Hydra in Crypto Markets," alleged that states including Russia, Iran, and North Korea have laundered approximately $350 billion in illicit cryptocurrency. Central to the findings was the A7A5 stablecoin, a ruble-backed digital currency that the report described as a tool for evading Western sanctions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused those sanctioned of circulating what it called defamatory speculations and false information about Russian policy. In a statement, the ministry said the action was a response to hostile actions by British officials, including what it described as provocative anti-Russian rhetoric and support for Ukraine.

Browder, who founded the Global...