Russian federal authority blacklists Binance's website
Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal authority responsible for the supervision of communications, information technology, and mass media in the country, has blacklisted Binance's website.
Binance announced the news in its official Russian Telegram channel on Friday, saying that the exchange received a notification from Roskomnadzor on Thursday about the inclusion of Binance's website, www.binance.com, in the regulator's register for "containing information prohibited for distribution in Russia."
Gleb Kostarev, director of Binance Russia, told The Block that the register is a list of "notable websites that have been blocked or censored in Russia, including current and past blocks."
Binance said it has been placed in the register due to data distribution related to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
The Roskomnadzor register shows that Binance's website entered the list on June 2, while the "access is not limited," meaning the website can still be accessed in the country.
Kostarev told The Block that the website can still be accessed "for now." The Block could not independently check via a VPN whether Binance's website is accessible.
Binance said it has engaged with legal counsels for further advice. In the meanwhile, it continues to provide services to Russian users "in full and clients' funds are safe." As for the June inclusion, the exchange said it had not received any notifications from law enforcement agencies before Thursday.
Binance offers trading in six coins — BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, BUSD, and USDT — via Russian ruble deposits.
This story has been updated to include comments from Gleb Kostarev, director of Binance Russia.
