A Russian one-way attack UAV developer that was asking for cryptocurrency donations on Telegram has been sanctioned by the OFAC division of the U.S. Department of Treasury.

In an effort "to limit the Kremlin's revenue and access to the materiel it needs to prosecute its illegal war against Ukraine," the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned almost 300 people and businesses on May 1.

According to a press statement from OFAC, Russia has been able to purchase “desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad” thanks to the sanctioned businesses.

OKO Design Bureau, a company that develops unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), looks to be one of the sanctioned individuals.

A blockchain forensics company called Chainalysis claims that the Russian drone manufacturer ran a Telegram group where it accepted donations in crypto. OFAC has sanctioned three crypto addresses associated with the Saint Petersburg-registered firm:

▪️BTC: 13fhnkmpBBWXUQucJd6efWvXdEj78DKavk.

▪️ETH (including USDT): 0x19F8f2B0915Daa12a3f5C9CF01dF9E24D53794F7.

▪️TRX (including USDT): TFdTr9C3BqQrzKBXqSxJfAZFTh8UwBAfSg.

Researchers at Chainalysis say that the aforementioned addresses are listed underneath detailed descriptions and videos of OKO Design Bureau’s operations on Telegram, including testing with the Russian Ministry of Defense, and “usage of their UAVs against Ukraine

However, OKO Design Bureau “had limited success” in their Telegram crypto donation efforts, the researchers say, adding that the firm raised well under $1,000 in total collection.

Although OKO Design Bureau’s total crypto activities were limited, Chainalysis notes this is not the first time Russian militia groups explicitly detailed their military operations while publicly soliciting crypto donations.

Over 50 volunteer groups committed to "spreading disinformation, and creating pro-invasion propaganda" and crowdfunding Russian military expenditures, according to the blockchain company with its headquarters in New York.

By July 2022, the organisations had reportedly received donations totaling about $2.2 million, according to the analysts, though it's unknown if that number has increased or decreased since then.