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

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)

Tech

Russia's Supreme Court Makes 'Landmark' Vote With Blockchain System From Kaspersky Lab

The court for the first time used a blockchain-based system to record votes in a web-hosted plenary session Friday.

Jun 12, 2020

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

Policy

Russia's Economy Ministry Calls for 'Controllable Market' Rather Than Crypto Ban

The ministry argued the draft ban would be harmful for Russia's economy and citizens, and called for a softer stance.

Jun 10, 2020

Finance

Moscow Said to Hire Kaspersky to Build Voting Blockchain With Bitfury Software

Moscow's government is giving voters the option of having their ballots recorded on a blockchain despite transparency concerns.

Jun 9, 2020

Policy

Illegal Miners in Russia Stole $6.6M Worth of Electricity, Power Grid Firm Says

Electricity thieves built their own illicit power stations to connect hidden mining farms with the local energy grid, a state-owned provider says.

Jun 8, 2020

Finance

Crypto-Friendly Arival Bank Is Launching Today for Those Willing to Disclose Their Bags

After two years of laying groundwork, crypto-friendly Arival Bank is launching in beta Thursday. But there’s a catch: Clients must disclose all wallets.

Jun 4, 2020

Arival bank founders Slava Solodkiy, Igor Pesin and Jeremy Berger (Credit: Arival)

Policy

Russia Is About to Drop the Crypto ‘Iron Curtain,’ Industry Warns

Russia's crypto community is pushing back against a set of bills that could impose onerous restrictions on startups and individuals in the country.

May 29, 2020

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