Anna Baydakova

Investigative Reporter

Anna writes about blockchain projects and regulation with a special focus on Eastern Europe and Russia. She is especially excited about stories on privacy, cybercrime, sanctions policies and censorship resistance of decentralized technologies.
She graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University and the Higher School of Economics in Russia and got her Master's degree at Columbia Journalism School in New York City.
She joined CoinDesk after years of writing for various Russian media, including the leading political outlet Novaya Gazeta.
Anna owns BTC and an NFT of sentimental value.

Latest from Anna Baydakova

Policy

Russia's FSB Is Making Life Harder for Blockchain Companies

The FSB, Russia’s security agency, wants blockchain companies to certify with them. This could push foreign companies out of the market.

Jul 23, 2020

Enigma cipher machine (EQRoy/Shutterstock)

Policy

Russia to Treat Crypto as a Taxable Property

Russia changed its draft bill regulating crypto and digital assets. You won’t go to jail for facilitating crypto deals in the country – at least, not just yet.

Jul 21, 2020

Policy

Russian Activists Use Bitcoin, and the Kremlin Doesn't Like It

Activists and dissidents in Russia use crypto for fundraising – yet widespread adoption is still far away.

Jul 15, 2020

Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition politician (Konstantin Egorychev/Shutterstock)

Policy

Russian Courts Can't Agree on Whether Crypto Is Property

A Russian court convicted two men for extortion, but did not force them to return over $900,000 in crypto since crypto has no legal definition as property. Other courts have taken a different view.

Jul 3, 2020

Russia's Supreme Court (E.O./Shutterstock)

Tech

Bug in Moscow’s Blockchain Polling System Can Reveal How Users Voted: Report

The vulnerability allowed users votes in the recent constitutional poll to be decrypted, Russian journalists found.

Jul 2, 2020

Markets

To His Own Surprise, Crypto Volume Pumper's Business Is Still Thriving

Remember that college student who spoke candidly about inflating crypto trading volumes? He’s still at it – and COVID-19 has kept his business brisk.

Jun 30, 2020

Tech

Hacker Attempts to Disrupt Russia's Blockchain Voting System

A hacker has attempted to disrupt a blockchain voting system currently being used to help decide constitutional changes in the Russian Federation.

Jun 29, 2020

Russian President Vladimir Putin (WEF/Wikimedia Commons)

Policy

Telegram Agrees to Pay $18.5M Penalty in SEC Settlement Over Failed TON Offering

Telegram has settled its six-month court case with the SEC, agreeing to pay $18.5 million in penalties and to notify the agency if it plans to issue another digital asset in the next three years.

Jun 25, 2020

Markets

Blackballed by PayPal, Scientific-Paper Pirate Takes Bitcoin Donations

Bitcoin has been used by outlaws of all sorts, but this time the outlaw is a young scientist from Kazakhstan breaking through the paywalls of academic journals.

Jun 22, 2020

Alexandra Elbakyan, the woman behind SciHub, at a conference at Harvard in 2010.

Policy

Russia's Ministry of Justice Latest to Criticize Proposed Crypto Ban

Russia's Ministry of Justice is the latest government authority to oppose a proposed crypto ban, seeing inconsistencies in the bill's stipulations.

Jun 18, 2020

Russian Ministry of Justice, Moscow (VLADJ55/Shutterstock)

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