The Milan Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into two entrepreneurs from Brianzaaccused of having collaborated with i Russian secret services in exchange for payments in cryptocurrencies. The two men, PS, 60 years old, owner of a real estate company, and FC, 32 years old, an openly pro-Russian partner, would have collected sensitive information, such as images of strategic sites and confidential details on individuals of interestand then transfer them to contacts of theFSBthe Russian intelligence service.
According to the authorities, the initial contact with Moscow it would have happened via an email directed to the institutional account of the Russian secret services, and then continued on Telegram. In exchange for the information provided, the two entrepreneurs would have received at least 10,000 euros in Bitcoin, including a documented payment of 2,000 euros (source).
Among the activities under investigation, the collection of images of places such as the Milan Cathedral and the deal oninstallation of cameras on taxis to monitor movements and encounters of specific subjects. The entrepreneurs are also accused of having stalked a Roman citizen, RB, and of having photographed his home, his car and his acquaintances.
Among the planned missions there were also hypotheses of sabotage in cities such as Rome and the collection of information on military sites, including the Aviano base. PS would also have offered alleged contacts to obtain NATO confidential filesa proposal that did not materialize, according to sources.
The investigation, which began in April 2024, led to searches and seizures that revealed further details about these illicit activities. However, many of the conversations between the two Italians and their Russian contacts had already been canceled by the time the authorities intervened.
In addition to corruption in favor of foreigners, the suspects also face charges of subversive terrorism. The Milan Prosecutor’s Office is investigating possible other complicities, including possible collaborations with members of Italian institutions.
The case comes at a time of strong tensions between Russia and the West, aggravated by the conflict in Ukraine. Cryptocurrencies once again prove themselves to be one crucial tool for financing illicit operations, thanks to their difficult traceability. The developments of the investigation are awaited with great interest, given the sensitivity of the allegations and the implications for national security.
On the other hand, this is not the only news today relating to links between espionage and digital finance. Decrypt claims to have received further confirmation that Ruja Ignatovanicknamed the Cryptoqueenfind it in Russia and who based his project OneCoin on agreements with the Kremlin and with the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovichpro-Russian and a decisive figure in the explosion of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014.
Decrpyt collected BBC investigations, corroborated by testimonies from the former private investigator Frank Schneideraccording to which part of the funds laundered through OneCoin could be connected to Russian networks. Schneider, a former Swiss spy and collaborator of Ignatova, revealed how the Cryptoqueen have used ties with Russian powers to avoid extradition.
According to some hypotheses, Ignatova may have maintained control of his assets, estimated at billions of dollarsthrough intermediaries in Russia. Other reports suggest it may be in South Africa or that it was deleted in Mediterranean. Meanwhile, theFBI increased the reward on his capture to $5 milliona sign that the international investigation is still ongoing.
Launched in 2014 and promoted as aalternative to BitcoinOneCoin attracted investors by promising high earnings through a multi-tiered network system similar to one schema piramidale. However, it was very different from other cryptocurrencies because it lacks transparent and verifiable blockchain technology. Instead, the “coins” they were arbitrarily generated by the project creators. Furthermore, investor profits were derived from recruiting new participants rather than true product value. Millions of people around the world have been scammed, which has led to overall losses of around 4 billion dollars.
Ruja Ignatova is not the only high-profile internationally wanted figure and refugee in Russia to have managed to avoid extradition requests for years. Among others, the famous US government whistleblower Edward Snowden has been living in Russia since 2013.
Source: www.hwupgrade.it
