Russia Secretly Helped Venezuela Launch a Cryptocurrency to Evade U.S. Sanctions
Exclusive: Russia Secretly Helped Venezuela Launch a Cryptocurrency to Evade U.S. Sanctions
President Donald Trump may not have realized on Monday that his executive order would step on Russias toes. Its official target was Venezuela, specifically the countrys plan to create the worlds first state-backed cryptocurrency, the petro, which went on sale Tuesday.
But behind the scenes, the petro was in fact a collaborationa half-hidden joint venture between Venezuelan and Russian officials and businessmen, whose aim was to erode the power of U.S. sanctions, sources familiar with the effort told TIME.
Trumps executive order did not mention the petros Russian backers, whose role has not previously been reported. Citing economic sanctions that the U.S. imposed against Venezuela in August, the order simply made clear that anyone who buys or uses the new cryptocurrency would be in breach of those sanctions, as would anyone under U.S. jurisdiction who helps Venezuela develop the petro. Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited, the document states.
That may be why the Russians involved in this operation have been keen to remain in the shadows, in part through a clumsy online campaign to obscure their role in the project. But a TIME investigation has found Moscows fingerprints all over the creation of the petro,
a scheme that reveals the range of Russias efforts to fight back against U.S. sanctions.
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Both men have ties to major Russian banks and billionaires close to the Kremlin. But they were not the most senior Russians involved. According to an executive at a Russian state bank who deals with cryptocurrencies, senior advisers to the Kremlin have overseen the effort in Venezuela, and President Vladimir Putin signed off on it last year.
People close to Putin, they told him this is how to avoid the sanctions, says the executive, who spoke to TIME on condition of anonymity. This is how the whole thing started.
More:
http://time.com/5206835/exclusive-russia-petro-venezuela-cryptocurrency/