Crypto Money Helps Buy Cheap Drones for Russia and Iran

When people want to buy a cheap drone online, it is hard for governments to know who bought it and why. The new study shows that groups connected to Russia and Iran are using digital money, or crypto, to pay for these drones. Crypto is recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain. By looking at that ledger, researchers can follow each payment from its start to its finish. This makes it easier to see who is buying what and where the money comes from. Since Russia started fighting in Ukraine in 2022, pro‑Russia groups have collected more than $8. 3 million from crypto donors. Many of those donations were used to buy drones and parts that can be bought on regular e‑commerce sites.The researchers matched payments of about $2, 200 to $3, 500 with the exact prices of drones listed online. They even found photos that showed the drones had been delivered, proving the link between crypto and drone purchases. In Iran’s case, a wallet linked to the Revolutionary Guard Corps bought drone parts from a supplier in Hong Kong. The same crypto trail also showed that some of the equipment was sold to other buyers. Although the amount of crypto used for drone buying is small compared with total war spending, the study argues that blockchain tracking can shine a light on transactions that would otherwise stay hidden. “The blockchain gives us clues that traditional methods can’t, ” said a senior analyst. “It helps us understand the purpose behind each purchase. ”