Leaked A7 Documents Expose Russia's $8B Crypto Pipeline for Election Interference

A massive leak of internal documents from the A7 group, a Russia-based firm specializing in sanctions evasion, has revealed a sophisticated financial network that moved approximately $8 billion in stablecoins over the past 18 months to influence Moldovan elections and bypass international sanctions. According to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, the leaks include on-chain data and chat logs showing that A7, controlled by sanctioned Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, used cryptocurrencies like USDT (Tether) and Toncoin (TON) to fund polling operations, activist networks, and direct payments to politicians.

The report details that A7 wallets made transactions totaling billions, with one wallet identified as belonging to Maria Albot, a former Moldovan politician, processing over $677 million. A7 also developed its own ruble-backed stablecoin, A7A5, valued at nearly $500 million, to create a sanctions-proof ecosystem. Shor, who boasts of facilitating $89 billion in cross-border transactions, has ties to Russia's state-owned Promsvyazbank, suggesting Kremlin awareness. While no direct proof links the Russian government, the covert nature of operations makes concrete evidence elusive.