According to data from Global Ledger, five of the largest Russian-language darknet marketplaces — MEGA, Kraken (not affiliated with the U.S. exchange), BlackSprut, OMG!OMG!, and Nova — processed around $1.85 B through licensed crypto exchanges between January and September 2025.
According to analysts, payments were routed through at least 20 centralized exchanges collectively holding more than 130 international licenses. Annual transaction growth across these platforms is estimated at 20–25%. More than 70% of all flows originated from the Kraken marketplace, whose transfers totaled roughly $1.3 B.
To conceal the sources of funds, operators relied on OTC brokers, P2P swaps, and crypto mixers. Global Ledger noted that the activity of Russian-language darknet platforms highlights serious weaknesses in KYC and AML mechanisms, even on regulated exchanges.
The report points to a widening gap between blockchain transparency and intermediary opacity. Despite the public nature of on-chain data, identifying the ultimate beneficiaries behind such transactions remains nearly impossible. Darknet marketplaces have become part of the shadow economy, facilitating cross-border capital flight and money laundering linked to sanctions evasion and cybercrime.
Earlier, the European Union included crypto services in its sanctions package against Russia for the first time. The restrictions cover all categories of digital assets — from cryptocurrencies and NFTs to stablecoins — as well as services provided by both centralized and decentralized platforms.
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