Head of Ukrainian Cyber Police Advocates for Regulating Cryptocurrencies

Friday, 28/05/2021 | 16:01 GMT by Felipe Erazo
  • The official highlighted difficulties to investigate crypto mining-related crimes because of the lack of regulation.
Head of Ukrainian Cyber Police Advocates for Regulating Cryptocurrencies
Bloomberg

Ukraine’s head of cyber police has raised concerns about the ongoing criminal activity that is taking place within the cryptocurrency sphere and is calling for regulating it. Oleksandr Grinchak stated during an interview with RBC that regulating the crypto industry would significantly help authorities monitor illegal transactions.

The official says that most crimes can be associated with digital assets, such as murders and drug trafficking, due to the anonymous nature of transactions done through Blockchain . However, he clarified that it often does not possess a tough hurdle for the police to investigate criminals.

“We have contact with each liaison officer at the embassies located on the territory of Ukraine. We are as close as possible to the United States, Britain, the countries of the European Union, primarily France and Germany. Now we are trying to establish communication with China. Because a lot of crimes are related to cryptocurrency, and it all came out of China, this is its primary source,” Grinchak said about the origin of most of the crypto-related crimes that hit Ukraine’s citizens.

Difficulties on Investigating Crypto Mining-Related Crimes

He even mentioned during the interview that Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, has supported his office’s advocation to regulate the Cryptocurrencies in the country. “The mining sector is not regulated in any way in Ukraine: Not one regulatory document is currently in existence. All we can charge illegal miners with is stealing electricity,” the head of the Ukrainian cyber police added about the hurdles its office face on investigations related to crypto mining.

Still, Grinchak pointed out that the bureau constantly communicates with crypto exchanges through its specialists in blockchain analytics to identify criminals that arrange illegal transactions. Additionally, the cyber police stated that many criminals rely on hiding their digital identities behind VPN providers from Russia. Moreover, the office has been in touch with Telegram to help crack down groups with the illicit trade of goods and services with cryptos.

Ukraine’s head of cyber police has raised concerns about the ongoing criminal activity that is taking place within the cryptocurrency sphere and is calling for regulating it. Oleksandr Grinchak stated during an interview with RBC that regulating the crypto industry would significantly help authorities monitor illegal transactions.

The official says that most crimes can be associated with digital assets, such as murders and drug trafficking, due to the anonymous nature of transactions done through Blockchain . However, he clarified that it often does not possess a tough hurdle for the police to investigate criminals.

“We have contact with each liaison officer at the embassies located on the territory of Ukraine. We are as close as possible to the United States, Britain, the countries of the European Union, primarily France and Germany. Now we are trying to establish communication with China. Because a lot of crimes are related to cryptocurrency, and it all came out of China, this is its primary source,” Grinchak said about the origin of most of the crypto-related crimes that hit Ukraine’s citizens.

Difficulties on Investigating Crypto Mining-Related Crimes

He even mentioned during the interview that Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, has supported his office’s advocation to regulate the Cryptocurrencies in the country. “The mining sector is not regulated in any way in Ukraine: Not one regulatory document is currently in existence. All we can charge illegal miners with is stealing electricity,” the head of the Ukrainian cyber police added about the hurdles its office face on investigations related to crypto mining.

Still, Grinchak pointed out that the bureau constantly communicates with crypto exchanges through its specialists in blockchain analytics to identify criminals that arrange illegal transactions. Additionally, the cyber police stated that many criminals rely on hiding their digital identities behind VPN providers from Russia. Moreover, the office has been in touch with Telegram to help crack down groups with the illicit trade of goods and services with cryptos.

About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe Erazo
  • 1036 Articles
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About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe earned a degree in journalism at the University of Chile with the highest honour in the overall ranking, and he also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Communication. In addition, he has been working as a freelance writer and Forex/crypto analyst, with experience gained from several forex broker firms and crypto-related media outlets around the world. He has been involved in the world of online forex trading since 2010 and in the crypto sphere since 2015.
  • 1036 Articles
  • 46 Followers

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