221/69 Thursday, April 23, 2026
The cryptocurrency exchange Grinex announced a full suspension of its operations on April 16, 2026, after detecting a security incident that resulted in the loss of approximately 1 billion rubles (around $13.7 million). The company stated that the attack was highly sophisticated and suggested it may have involved Western intelligence agencies aiming to disrupt Russia’s financial system.
However, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis raised doubts about this claim, noting that the movement of stolen digital assets does not align with typical state-sponsored operations. The stolen funds, initially in the form of stablecoins, were rapidly transferred through decentralized exchanges (DEXs) on the Tron network and converted into TRX tokens to evade potential freezing by issuers. This pattern is more commonly associated with insider fraud or an “exit scam” rather than a state-backed cyberattack. Investigators also observed similarities with financial activities linked to Garantex, a previously sanctioned platform.
Grinex has also been under pressure from international sanctions, having been listed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The platform has been associated with the A7A5 token, reportedly designed to bypass financial sanctions. This incident has effectively disrupted a key infrastructure used to circumvent such restrictions. While the company claims it has reported the incident to law enforcement and shared relevant data, digital evidence continues to raise questions among experts about whether the event was solely an external attack.
Source https://hackread.com/grinex-crypto-exchange-shuts-down-west-agency-breach/