Garantex, the Russian crypto alternate with alleged ties to shady banks and legal networks, is gone—its web site yanked offline by the Russian Secret Service in coordination with international enforcement.
This takedown, years within the making, wasn’t delicate. US and European regulators have been circling for ages, utilizing Garantex as a poster youngster for what occurs to unregulated platforms that stray too near the fireplace. The message? The noose is tightening for crypto outlaws.
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A Coordinated Crackdown On Russian Crypto Trade Garantex
The Garantex website is lifeless, changed by a blunt seizure discover from the US and Russian Secret Service. Furthermore, spokesperson Nate Herring confirmed the takedown as a part of an “ongoing investigation,” although particulars stay beneath wraps.
BREAKING
All Russian Wallets With $USDT Are Below Hazard!
Earlier this morning, Garantex Trade anounced that @Tether_to had frozen ₽2.5B(RUB) price of $USDT on their wallets.
And only recently, their web site https://t.co/IFVH21W9dV has been taken down.
It’s reported… pic.twitter.com/B0E4drbl8P
— enCRYPT0 (@0xEncrypto) March 6, 2025
This motion follows Tether’s controversial choice to freeze $28 million in USDT related to Garantex on March 6. Importantly, the stablecoin issuer’s participation demonstrates the rising collaborative method between regulation enforcement businesses and main crypto organizations to fight illicit actions throughout the digital asset ecosystem.
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Tether Blockade and Garantex’s Response
Reacting to the state of affairs, Garantex issued an announcement through its Telegram channel accusing Tether and reiterating its dedication to resolve the difficulty.
“We’re combating and won’t quit,” the alternate acknowledged, including that it had “quickly suspended all companies, together with cryptocurrency withdrawals whereas our whole workforce solves this downside.”
The frozen property reportedly quantity to over 2.5 billion rubles (roughly $25 million), additional complicating the state of affairs for the alternate, which has been beneath scrutiny for years.
Garantex has been a thorn within the facet of Western authorities for years. Sanctioned in April 2022 by the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC—with backing from the FBI and German authorities—the alternate was accused of funneling over $100 million to shady operators.
Among the many accusations was almost $6 million linked to the infamous Conti ransomware gang and $2.6 million flowing from Hydra, the now-dead darknet bazaar.
Implications for the Crypto Trade
The seizure of Garantex’s property and takedown of its website is simply the most recent salvo within the combat over crypto’s soul. By alleging ties to sanctioned Russian entities, U.S. authorities are folding crypto right into a broader narrative of geopolitical enforcement.
This additionally raises the query—are U.S. and Russian officers cracking down on crypto or quietly hoarding it in a digital arms race?

The takedown of Garantex’s web site ramps up the combat in opposition to crypto platforms accused of fueling illicit transactions. With worldwide businesses banding collectively, the message is obvious—judgment day is coming for unregulated exchanges.
The fallout might reshape crypto’s future. Tether’s function in freezing property factors to an trade strolling a positive line between compliance and liberty. Regulators name it accountability; skeptics name it the gradual loss of life of centralization.
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Key Takeaways
- Garantex, the Russian crypto alternate with alleged ties to shady banks and legal networks, has been seized.
- The fallout might reshape crypto’s future.
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