Dictators fuel bitcoin adoption with Anna Chekhovich | The Last Free Americans

Anna Chekhovich is a Russian activist who manages the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s finances while living in exile. She runs payrolls, budgeting, and fundraising for a movement that faces surveillance, asset seizures, and sanctions. What sets Anna apart is her operational playbook for keeping an organization alive when banks fail you. In this episode, Anna joins The Last Free Americans to share how bitcoin became ACF’s plan B for payroll and donations, how activists build practical off-ramps under hostile regimes, and how she co-designed a simple three-day training that now serves activists from more than 50 countries.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

→ Subscribe

→ Leave a review

→ Share the show with your friends and family

→ Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com

→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast

→ Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro, disclaimers, and why Bitcoin self-custody matters for human rights

1:04 - Running ACF finances under surveillance and in exile

3:23 - Bank freezes and the shift to bitcoin as plan B