Russia sanctions British teen over A7A5 stablecoin allegations

Russia has sanctioned a British teenager for his role in exposing the alleged use of ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5 in funding the war effort against Ukraine — a move the 17-year-old appears to be wearing rather well.

Alexander Browder penned a report for foreign policy and national security think tank The Henry Jackson Society, which the Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed as "defamatory speculations and false information." The ministry added Browder, along with three other U.K. nationals and Washington Post reporter Catherine Belton, to its sanctions list. Browder is the son of longtime Vladimir Putin critic Bill Browder. He called the designation "a badge of honour" in a post on X on Wednesday. Collecting sanctions before most people collect a driver's licence is one way to speed-run a career in geopolitics.

The A7A5 stablecoin was designed to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.