Aleksandr Bazhin, a resident of Kirovo-Chepetsk, was fined 50,000 rubles in a criminal case over transferring to other people data used for internet registration and authorization. The ruling was issued on June 25, according to a judgment highlighted by Mediazona.
Bazhin was charged under Article 274.5, Part 1, of the Russian Criminal Code. According to the prosecution, he was one of the administrators of a Telegram channel through which people with access to WhatsApp and MAX sent their phone numbers and SMS codes.
Investigators say those details were then used to register so-called account “renters.” According to the case materials, the transfer of access was paid for in cryptocurrency, in the dollar-pegged equivalent of USDT.
The case also mentions a minor from Astrakhan. The prosecution says he was responsible for converting USDT into rubles and for advertising the Telegram channel tied to the scheme.
According to data cited by Mediazona, the “renters” were paid at least $581 in total for transferring accounts in WhatsApp and MAX.
The outlet notes that this is already the second known verdict in a criminal case over transferring other people’s accounts in which the state messenger MAX appeared. In May 2026, Dmitry Kuznetsov, a resident of Angarsk, was also fined 50,000 rubles in a similar case.