Stephanie Douse 
Bitcoin influencer Alex Gladstein is getting banned on Twitter after his stance on targeted smart sanctions in Russia
Twitter Cancels Alex Gladstein After Targeted Sanctions Claim
Twitter has ‘canceled’ Bitcoin influencer Alex Gladstein due to his stance on targeted sanctions against Russia.
Gladstein had previously stated that he favors “confiscation of any properly targeted asset”. He did state that he opposed “broad nationality-based sanctions,” calling them “immoral.”
The crypto community reacted angrily to the influencer’s response
“So central planners can steal as long as the criminals steal from those you don’t like?” tweeted denverbitcoin. It sounds more like a “fiat rationalization” than a “principled” position, they noted.
Gladstein chose the “least bad” among war, unjustified Russian sanctions, and targeted smart sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs and their relatives. He prefers the last.
Alex Gladstein Supports Polina Kovaleva Sanction
Notably, the influencer’s first response was a retweeted post on Polina Kovaleva. The thread’s author claimed that Kovaleva is the stepdaughter of Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov — a Putin ally.
Kovaleva, who had a “glamorous British life,” was recently sanctioned. To Gladstein, punishing Kovaleva is justified since he “100%” supports the policy articulated by the original Kovaleva thread creator.
Among numerous replies, Tone Vays, a fan, lost respect for Gladstein for his “horrible take.” Their remark “goes against everything Bitcoin stands for,” they said.
According to Gladstein, “I embrace Bitcoin because it prevents widespread asset confiscation.” “But even under the Bitcoin Standard, war crimes are punishable,” the influencer added.
Meanwhile, Twitter user TheGuySwann defended Gladstein, praising his contributions to the Bitcoin movement.