The United States announced sanctions against eight entities and four individuals in the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic, accusing them of assisting Moscow in evading international restrictions. The targeted entities include three companies controlled by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor — “A7,” “A71,” and “A7-AGENT” — which, according to U.S. authorities, he used to mask real money flows and circumvent sanctions, IPN reported.
According to the statement, these structures used complex financial systems — including cryptocurrencies — to hide the true origin of funds. They also enabled Russia’s money transfers. Former Garantex employees created the Grinex cryptocurrency exchange after authorities sanctioned the original platform. The new platform aimed to continue operations under a different identity, enabling the transfer of billions of dollars in crypto.
In this context, stakeholders launched the A7A5 token — a stablecoin that the Russian state bank Promsvyazbank and companies tied to Shor jointly developed. Its value tracks the Russian ruble (1 A7A5 = 1 ruble), and although promoters bill it as a “new financial technology,” authorities claim it helps bypass international restrictions. In July 2025, Elliptic reported a significant surge in trading volumes, over $1 billion per day, and the token’s market capitalization tripled in two weeks, reaching $521 million.
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Ilan Shor and Promsvyazbank created the “A7” company (the bank holds 49% and Ilan Shor 51%) to provide financial services; however, U.S. authorities say he uses it to finance Shor’s group in the Republic of Moldova.
According to ipn.md, the sanctions list also includes other entities involved in crypto transactions between Russia and other countries, such as “Old Vector” (Kyrgyzstan), “InDeFi Bank,” controlled by Sergei Mendeleev, a Garantex co‑founder, and the “Exved” payments platform, under the same leadership.
Alongside Mendeleev, authorities sanctioned Aleksandr Mira Serda — co‑owner and commercial director of Garantex; Pavel Karavatsky — co‑owner and regional director of Garantex — and Ekaterina Zhdanova, whom they accuse of laundering more than $2 million through Garantex and who has been under U.S. sanctions since November 2023.