A cryptocurrency exchange popular among Russian users seeking to bypass sanctions, Grinex, has halted its operations after claiming to have fallen victim to a sophisticated cyber attack that resulted in the theft of approximately $13 million. The exchange revealed the breach via its Telegram channel and an official statement on its website, suggesting that the attack's complexity and coordination point to the involvement of state-sponsored actors from 'hostile nations.' According to Grinex, preliminary data indicates that the attack was deliberately designed to undermine Russia's financial independence. The exchange, which was previously sanctioned by the US, UK, and EU for its role in helping users circumvent restrictions through a ruble-backed stablecoin, has temporarily suspended trading, leaving users unable to access their funds while an investigation is conducted. Grinex has released a list of 54 affected wallet addresses and the corresponding amounts stolen, with the majority being in USDT on the TRON blockchain.