Russia-linked Grinex crypto exchange suspends operations after cyber attack

(Corrects paragraph 7 ‌to show ​that ​major Russian banks were disconnected from SWIFT, not all Russian banks, and replaces Western ‌sanctions with EU sanctions)

MOSCOW, April 16 (Reuters) - Russia-linked sanctioned ⁠crypto exchange Grinex said on Thursday it had suspended operations ‌after assets worth 1 ‌billion roubles ($13.10 million) were stolen during a cyber attack.

Grinex, which is based in Kyrgyzstan but linked ​to Russia, was sanctioned by the U.S., the UK and the European Union last year.

In a ⁠statement posted on its Telegram channel, the exchange accused "foreign intelligence services" of ​unfriendly states of being involved in the attack. Reuters was not able to verify ​this claim.

"The digital footprints and ‌nature of the attack indicate an unprecedented level of resources and technologies available ⁠exclusively to entities of unfriendly states," the exchange said.

"According to preliminary data, the attack was coordinated with the aim ⁠of causing direct harm to Russia's financial sovereignty," it added.

The ​U.S. has stated that Grinex helped customers circumvent sanctions via a Russian rouble-backed stablecoin called A7A5.

Russia, which had its major ‌banks disconnected from the international SWIFT banking system as part of EU sanctions after ‌its military campaign in Ukraine, has developed a sophisticated ⁠crypto infrastructure to ‌facilitate its foreign trade.

($1 = ​76.3500 roubles)

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Jane Merriman and Susan ‌Fenton)

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