Kremlin Critic Bankrolls Putin Challenge with $3 Million Bitcoin Haul
By CCN: Alexei Navalny, who attempted to run for president against Vladimir Putin and continues to be a viable Putin opponent, has raised over $3 million since he began taking Bitcoin donations in 2016. Just yesterday he received close to $10,000.
The cryptocurrency funds leave the wallet soon after they enter it, presumably converted to fiat.
Bitcoin Keeps Pouring in After Failed Presidential Bid
Navalny was disbarred from last year’s election due to a suspended sentence for embezzlement – the irony of which cannot be overstated. Navalny runs on an anti-corruption platform but cannot run for president because he has a corruption charge against him.
Russian media questions the timing of his donations, which correlate with certain reports that Navalny has made public, particularly things viewed as damaging to incumbents.
According to Russian outlet ZNAK, more substantial donations to Navalny have often coincided closely with publications on the part of Navalny. Reportedly, he published a report about a Putin confidant’s British citizenship. This report was released just one day after Navalny received nearly 20 BTC.
Pro-Putin outlets have painted a picture of a man essentially conducting a pay-for-play scheme – people pay him to use his platform to reveal damaging information about the Kremlin. A counterpoint might be that it benefits Navalny to release such information about the Kremlin in any case, as it boosts his chances of an eventual successful political campaign.
