russia

According to the official website of the Council of the European Union, the EU officially passed the 20th round of sanctions against Russia in 2026, which is also the largest sanction package in two years, adding 120 individuals and entities to the list, and applying comprehensive pressure from multiple dimensions including energy, finance, military industry, and trade.In the field of cryptocurrency, given Russia's increasing reliance on cryptocurrency for international settlements under financial sanctions, the EU has implemented a comprehensive industry ban on cryptocurrency asset transfers and trading platforms within Russia. Additionally, it has sanctioned a platform in Kyrgyzstan that supports the government-backed stablecoin A7A5 and prohibited transactions related to the cryptocurrency RUBx as well as all support from the EU for the development of the digital ruble.

According to Russian crypto media Bits.media, the Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Nabiullina, stated at a press conference that the core purpose of the digital ruble is to automate the monitoring of national contract expenditures, replacing the existing manual review process.She emphasized that the digital ruble does not differ in transparency from the current cashless ruble, and monitoring individual payments is a "misunderstanding." Nabiullina also promised that the central bank would not force citizens to open digital ruble accounts or to use them, and plans to allow the public to experience it voluntarily starting in September, guiding voluntary adoption through promotional advantages. Previously, the Central Bank of Russia updated the relevant rules for businesses and individuals to open digital ruble accounts.

The State Duma of Russia (the lower house of parliament) has passed the "Digital Currency and Digital Rights Bill" in the first reading, marking a key step towards the legalization of cryptocurrency assets in the country.According to the bill, the Bank of Russia will become the core regulatory body for the cryptocurrency market, responsible for issuing licenses, approving or prohibiting related transactions, and defining the legality of transactions. The bill proposes to classify cryptocurrencies as "property," but explicitly prohibits their use as a means of payment domestically, with the ruble remaining the only legal tender. However, in the context of Western sanctions, cryptocurrency assets can be used for cross-border trade settlements, including service payments, intellectual property transfers, and other scenarios.In addition, the bill allows Russian residents to legally invest in cryptocurrency assets through licensed institutions, but will implement a tiered investor system, setting testing and annual investment limits for ordinary investors (with a suggested cap of 300,000 rubles). Initially, only high-market-cap mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum will be allowed for trading, with a whitelist established by the central bank. The bill is expected to be formally passed and come into effect by July 2026 at the latest. However, some lawmakers and banking industry figures have criticized the overly strict regulations, which may affect market activity and even lead to funds remaining in the gray market. At the same time, accompanying legislation is also proposed to introduce criminal penalties, with a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison for illegal cryptocurrency trading.

According to DL News, the Russian government has published a draft bill on the State Duma website, proposing to hold criminal liability for organizing the circulation of digital currencies without registration or permission from the Central Bank of Russia, with a maximum penalty of 7 years of forced labor.The draft states that ordinary violators could face fines of up to approximately $4,000 and a maximum sentence of 4 years; operators of large cryptocurrency trading platforms could face fines of up to approximately $13,000, and responsible individuals could be sentenced to 5 to 7 years. The bill also proposes that most cryptocurrency transactions be completed through commercial bank apps and imposes penalties on industrial cryptocurrency miners for unreported activities. If approved by the State Duma and the president, the new regulations are set to take effect on July 1, 2027.

According to DL News, the major Russian cryptocurrency exchange Grinex has ceased operations due to a suspected major cyber attack, reportedly resulting in losses exceeding 1 billion rubles (approximately 13 million USD). The platform claimed on Telegram that the attack showed "signs of involvement from foreign intelligence agencies."Grinex is the successor to the previously sanctioned and closed Garantex exchange, providing a financial channel for the Russian economy to evade sanctions. Experts point out that Grinex's closure is not only due to the hacker attack itself but, more importantly, it removes the trading platform that Russian businesses relied on to convert rubles into usable international currencies, causing "serious damage" to the infrastructure that allows Russia to evade sanctions, making it more difficult for the Russian economy to escape the pressure of sanctions.The exchange was sanctioned by Western authorities such as the U.S., U.K., and the European Union in August 2025. Meanwhile, the Russian economy continues to weaken, with Putin revealing that GDP fell by 1.8% in January-February this year, and maritime oil exports may drop to their lowest level since 2023.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that a cryptocurrency company linked to "Russian gangs and intelligence agencies" is funding political opponents and influencing domestic cryptocurrency regulatory legislation.During a parliamentary vote on Friday, Tusk pointed out that some Polish politicians obstructing cryptocurrency regulatory legislation are serving the interests of a company named Zondacrypto, which is accused of providing "financial support" to political figures and has ties to Russia. Tusk further claimed that the company sponsored the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) event held in Poland last year, during which former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem publicly supported President Karol Nawrocki's campaign. Tusk bluntly stated that the company's funding sources involve not only "money related to the Russian mafia (Bratva)" but may also be connected to Russian intelligence agencies.Meanwhile, President Nawrocki won the election in June last year, with support from former U.S. President Donald Trump. The president's office responded that it does not oppose cryptocurrency regulation itself but opposes the "flawed regulatory model" proposed by the government. This controversy arises amid the political tug-of-war in Poland over the cryptocurrency regulatory bill. The bill aims to align with the EU's MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) framework, but the president previously vetoed the related bill and blocked parliament from overturning the veto in December, hindering the regulatory process.

The trading platform Grinex, linked to the Russian crypto market, suspended withdrawals and trading on Thursday, citing a "massive cyber attack." The exchange stated that over 1 billion rubles (approximately 13.1 million USD) were stolen, but blockchain analysis firm Elliptic's tracking shows the actual loss is about 15 million USDT.The stolen funds have been exchanged for TRX and ETH through the Tron and Ethereum networks to evade freezing. It is reported that Grinex is seen as the successor to the sanctioned Garantex trading platform, which was targeted by U.S. authorities last year for facilitating the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal funds.

The Central Bank of Russia stated that it plans to require its citizens to declare their cryptocurrency assets held overseas after the new round of cryptocurrency regulatory rules comes into effect.Vladimir Chistyukhin, the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, pointed out that the new regulations will strengthen KYC requirements for exchanges to enhance transaction transparency. He also emphasized that regulation does not prohibit individuals or institutions from holding cryptocurrency assets in overseas wallets, but they must declare them to the federal tax authority. This measure is expected to come into effect in July along with the relevant regulatory framework.

According to DL News, the state-owned power company Irkutskenergosbyt in the Irkutsk region of Russia recently discovered over 8,000 suspected illegal cryptocurrency mining sites, which were disguised as chicken coops, greenhouses, forests, paper mills, and abandoned gas stations.Since 2019, the company has filed 2,170 lawsuits against illegal miners, seeking a total compensation of $18.5 million. The courts have ruled fines amounting to about half of that total, and some cases have been settled out of court. Miners often disguise their activities as electric vehicle charging or agricultural electricity use, leading to power losses. In many regions of Russia, to ensure grid stability, licensed industrial mining sites have been shut down, and there are plans to use artificial intelligence tools to trace illegal mining.

According to the "News" report, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) recently arrested three Telegram investment channel owners, accusing them of manipulating stock prices through a "Pump&Dump" strategy, involving over 55,000 illegal transactions related to 19 large companies on the Moscow Exchange.Research from Moscow State University shows that 11% of Telegram investment signals can have a substantial impact on stock returns, with over 60% of private investors relying on such signals to make decisions. The Central Bank of Russia stated that it will continue to monitor abnormal trading and warned that "punishment is inevitable" for illegal bloggers. Experts remind that manipulative signals are often presented in emotional language, promise quick profits, and do not disclose risks; investors should prioritize consulting licensed advisors.

According to a statement from the Kremlin on the evening of April 9, Russian President Putin announced that Russia will implement an Orthodox Easter ceasefire from 16:00 Moscow time on April 11 to 24:00 on April 12 (from 21:00 Beijing time on April 11 to 5:00 on April 13), lasting 32 hours, and called on Ukraine to follow suit.Ukrainian President Zelensky immediately responded, "Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready to take reciprocal measures. We have proposed a ceasefire during this year's Easter holiday and will act accordingly."This is a rare opportunity for both sides to publicly agree on a ceasefire amid recent conflicts, but whether it can be implemented and if there are any additional conditions remains to be seen.

According to Cryptopolitan, the Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma to hold illegal cryptocurrency mining activities criminally liable, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to 2.5 million rubles (approximately $25,000). Currently, about 50,000 individuals and entities in Russia are engaged in mining activities, but fewer than 1,500 have completed registration.Meanwhile, Russia has extended the mining ban to the Republic of Buryatia and the Transbaikal Territory, lasting five years until March 15, 2031. The mining ban currently covers 13 regions, including Irkutsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and several republics in the North Caucasus. The Energy Minister of Moscow Oblast has proposed banning mining in Moscow and the region to alleviate the load on the power grid. Russia is one of the top three destinations for Bitcoin mining globally, but the government is prioritizing the use of computing power for artificial intelligence applications.

According to Bits.media, the Russian government has approved a package of cryptocurrency regulation bills, including an annual limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,300) for non-qualified investors to purchase cryptocurrencies through a single broker, and they can only buy high liquidity digital assets listed by the central bank, and must pass a test.Qualified investors still need to take the test, but there are no monetary limits. Trading through regulated intermediaries is allowed, but trading without intermediaries is prohibited. Russian citizens can purchase cryptocurrencies abroad, but must use foreign accounts for payment and report such transactions to the tax authorities. Administrative penalties mainly target non-compliant exchange institutions rather than individual investors. The relevant bills will be submitted to the State Duma for review in the coming days.

On-chain analyst ZachXBT stated that Russian over-the-counter intermediary Aleksandr Khinkis (Aleks) has been accused of assisting a ransomware group in laundering money through a single cryptocurrency exchange account since July 2025. The related funds come from three suspected ransom payments, totaling 796 BTC, equivalent to over 4.7 million USD.On-chain forensics show that some of the Bitcoin was transferred to Avalanche via a cross-chain bridge, then split into about 75 transactions into his exchange deposit address 0xa756...06e. Additionally, approximately 16.6 million USD in related funds remains stored at the relevant addresses or platforms. ZachXBT stated that he has provided clues regarding the aforementioned addresses and fund flows to compliance and law enforcement agencies.

Renowned on-chain investigator ZachXBT released a report today stating that a Russian over-the-counter (OTC) broker named Aleksandr (Aleks) Khinkis is suspected of assisting ransomware groups in laundering over $4.7 million since 2025 through a single cryptocurrency trading platform account.The related funds involve three suspicious ransom payments, totaling approximately 796 bitcoins (BTC). The investigation shows that these funds were transferred in batches to his trading platform's deposit address (0xa756) after being bridged between Bitcoin and Avalanche, completing a total of 75 transactions from 2025 to 2026. Additionally, approximately $16.6 million is currently still held in Aave and is being gradually liquidated.ZachXBT pointed out multiple ransom transactions: a ransom payment of about 72 BTC in September 2025 was bridged to the related address; a ransom of about 164 BTC was also discovered in October 2025 and converted to approximately $3.8 million. Some related addresses were blacklisted by Tether in November 2025, and the subsequently frozen USDT was destroyed three weeks ago, indicating that law enforcement and compliance agencies have intervened.Earlier in 2023, this account was also involved in a ransom transaction of about 560 BTC, which was circulated through multiple intermediary addresses and trading platforms before being bridged back to the Avalanche network in 2024. Furthermore, the investigation pointed out that the source addresses of the related bitcoins have a high correlation with multiple ransomware addresses, suspected of serving as payment transit nodes. Although some funds remain dormant, ZachXBT warned that they may still be laundered in the future and urged victims to report related addresses promptly to freeze the funds.

According to Cryptopolitan, the Legislative Activity Committee of the Russian government has approved a bill regulating cryptocurrency trading, which will allow the country's crypto exchanges to list digital assets with the largest market capitalization and trading volume.According to the bill, cryptocurrencies approved for trading must meet the criteria of having an average market capitalization of over 5 trillion rubles (approximately 600 billion USD) over the past two years, an average daily trading volume of at least 1 trillion rubles (approximately 120 billion USD), and a trading history of at least five years. Mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana meet these standards. The bill grants the Central Bank of Russia the authority to determine the list of digital assets allowed for circulation and empowers the financial intelligence agency to blacklist specific cryptocurrencies, with privacy coins being banned from trading.Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins are classified as "monetary assets," and the annual investment amount for ordinary Russian citizens will be limited to below 4,000 USD. The bill also stipulates that non-compliant crypto exchanges will face fines of up to 1 million rubles, illegal mining entities may be fined up to 2.5 million rubles, and large-scale illegal mining could face up to five years in prison.

According to market news, the Ukrainian government plans to regulate cryptocurrency donations in political funding to prevent Russian interference.The Ukrainian National Securities and Stock Market Commission outlined relevant mechanisms in the upcoming legal framework for the crypto economy during a public discussion with legal advisors, including the implementation of the "travel rule" to identify participants in cryptocurrency transactions and requiring service providers to report information directly to tax authorities. Ukraine will also restrict access to its crypto market for participants created by Russian capital or associated with Russia. The Ukrainian securities regulator stated that these measures aim to enhance transaction transparency and reduce the risk of opaque or foreign interference in the political process.

According to the "News" report, the Central Bank of Russia has submitted a proposal to the government to allow digital financial assets (ЦФА) to circulate in open networks such as Ethereum, with a related legal draft planned to be released in the summer of 2026.This initiative aims to attract foreign capital from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America in the context of sanctions, and to promote cross-border settlements. The Russian ЦФА market has grown from 44 billion rubles to 1.5 trillion rubles over the past three years, but it is still primarily driven by domestic demand. Analysts expect that if the relevant regulations are implemented, the market size could reach 12 to 13 trillion rubles by 2030.

According to market news, the Federal Tax Service of Russia announced that cryptocurrency miners will pay approximately 567 million rubles (about 7 million USD) in taxes to the state in 2025, of which 84 million rubles will be personal income tax and 483 million rubles will be corporate income tax. This figure is far lower than the previously expected 6 billion rubles (about 74 million USD).Officials pointed out that factors leading to the reduction in tax revenue include: rising electricity prices in Russia, high global hash rate of the Bitcoin network, a declining dollar to ruble exchange rate, falling Bitcoin prices, and limited legalization of mining. Russia legalized mining through legislation in 2024, requiring legal entities and individual entrepreneurs to register with the tax authorities, but currently, more than two-thirds of mining companies have not yet registered.

Benoit Anne from MFS Investment Management stated in a report that, given the potential strength of the global economy, the threat of stagflation this time is far lower than after the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. The head of the company's market insights team noted that there are concerns in the market about a severe inflation shock following a significant surge in oil prices, "but currently we believe the risks of persistent inflation are not the same."He mentioned that it is reassuring that the inflation market seems to agree with this view. He pointed out that the one-year inflation breakeven rate in the U.S. appears to have broken upward, while longer-term rates such as the five-year and ten-year rates have not changed much.