Known for its innovative e-governing system and booming IT industry, Estonia made a supposedly groundbreaking move in 2017. Instead, Estonia became a haven for international crypto criminals attracted by the opportunity to receive the prestigious “licensed in the EU” title for their sham firms. An international consortium of journalists analyzed close to 300 Estonian-registered crypto companies and discovered dozens of crimes: massive-scale fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, and illicit financing of Russian paramilitary organizations such as Wagner Group.