This morning, ForkLog, a crypto-blockchain source of information in Russian, reported that the authorities Ukrainian had raided the personal apartment of its founder and CEO Anatoly Kaplan. Office in Odessa, seizing funds of material and cryptocurrency.
ForkLog alleges that members of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and two witnesses arrived Friday morning at Kaplan's apartment in Odessa with a warrant. A search ensued, and the SSU officers departed taking some personal belongings from Kaplan, including " several pieces of equipment used to store cryptocurrencies, a notebook and other objects . "
raid, according to the publication, was existing allegations against a group of people from the United States and Ukraine involved in a program to steal funds from third-party payers. According to the SSU, the suspects exchanged Bitcoin for the Ukrainian Hryvnia " with the help of the Internet resource ForkLog ."
ForkLog insists that none of the entities named in the search warrants of the authorities " were related to ForkLog or its founder ." The SSU claim also apparently contradicts the fact that ForkLog is a media / information resource that does not offer any exchange services, and the magazine insists they "do not help." "
In addition to the allegedly unfounded search and search of Friday, the review also reports that a member of the security service attempted to send Bitcoin from Kaplan's portfolio to his. Kaplan's lawyer then called the municipal police to report a robbery. ForkLog Reports:
"… Kaplan's lawyer called the police to inform him of the intention to steal [Bitcoin] and called for the Afterwards, attempts to transfer Bitcoins to their own address were stopped. "
At the same time Friday, ForkLog reports that a raid also took place in the office from ForkLog to Odessa. The authorities confiscated the company's money, all its equipment and a bottle of Kraken rum.
Commenting on the broader implications of the incident, Kaplan stated:
"In my opinion, this situation directly illustrates one of the possible scenarios of the development of the interaction between the government and the cryptocurrency community, which is why we decided to make this case public. Because it is not so much to protect my personal interests or the ForkLog's interests, only to protect the interests of the entire community.And this event is a warning to all those involved in Blockchain technology, no matter how public you are.
We are currently working with lawyers to release personal property.What is particularly strange is the practice of transferring cryptocurrencies to an address under the control of the SSU. "
The unusual episode occurred at a time when cryptocurrency remains a key tool in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. the separatists in eastern Ukraine and the takeover of Crimea by Russia in 2014. The pro-Moscow separatist regions have openly called for the implementation of cryptocurrency as a solution to their financial problems.