U.K. teen banned from Russia after exposing alleged crypto scheme

World Russia sanctions teen son of anticorruption campaigner Bill Browder over report on alleged crypto laundering By Leigh Kiniry, Duarte Dias Duarte Dias Digital Journalist Duarte Pita Dias is based in CBS News' London bureau, where he works across digital platforms and for TV broadcasts. Read Full Bio Duarte Dias June 8, 2026 / 12:10 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A 17-year-old British high school student has become one of the youngest people sanctioned by Russia. Alexander Browder, son of the former financier turned anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder, says he made Russia "uncomfortable" by unveiling a cryptocurrency money laundering network he says was being used by Moscow to evade U.S. sanctions.Alexander Browder published a report in March alleging that Russia created its own "stablecoin" — a term used for cryptocurrencies tied to real assets such as hard currency — to carry out transactions that would otherwise have been blocked by sanctions imposed by the United States, U.K. or the European Union."My work is following the money," Browder told CBS News, adding that by sanctioning him, "the Kremlin has confirmed to me that following this money trail has made them uncomfortable."Russia's Foreign Ministry added Alexander Browder's name to its list of British nationals banned from entering the country on June 2. It said the younger Browder was being barred for publishing "disinformation." Alexander Browder, the son of financier-turned-activist Bill Browder, was sanctioned by Russia in June 2026 after exposing an alleged Russian cryptocurrency laundering network. CBS News "Russia can add my name to whatever list it wants, it won't change the facts, and it won't change my world," he told CBS News.According to Browder's report, the Russian stablecoin, named A7A5, was created in 2025 and was used to process $100 billion in transactions last year alone, mostly carried out on crypto exchanges based in Kyrgyzstan.Alexander Browder said he was...