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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.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, stated that banks and brokerage firms are expected to be allowed to obtain cryptocurrency exchange operating licenses directly based on existing banking licenses through a "notification process," without the need to reapply for a complete new license.The regulatory framework categorizes digital currencies and stablecoins as tradable assets but prohibits their use for domestic payments; the initial participation limit for banks in crypto assets is set at 1% of their capital. The relevant bill is expected to be submitted to the State Duma, and the regulatory framework will officially come into effect on July 1, 2026.

Russian Ministry of Finance officials have stated that they are considering introducing a separate stablecoin bill, rather than incorporating stablecoins into the upcoming cryptocurrency exchange regulations. Alexey Yakovlev, head of the Financial Policy Department, stated that stablecoins have "huge, even extremely huge potential." Russia has viewed stablecoins as a potential tool to bypass sanctions.Yakovlev mentioned that after the State Duma passes a bill prohibiting citizens from trading cryptocurrencies on platforms without operating licenses, they will begin to advance stablecoin regulation. The cryptocurrency bill is expected to be submitted to the State Duma during the spring session, potentially coming into effect as early as July. Currently, stablecoins do not have a legal status under Russian law, and the Ministry of Finance has expressed a desire to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Yakovlev stated that the government aims to ensure that stablecoins "serve economic interests, especially domestic interests." Previously, the Central Bank of Russia established a category for "foreign digital rights," with the first approved stablecoin being the ruble-pegged A7A5 stablecoin, which was authorized for use in overseas trade last October.According to market news, the total value of issued stablecoins has increased by over 51% since the beginning of 2025, reaching $311 billion.

According to market news, Russia is planning to fully incorporate cryptocurrency trading into a regulated "legal infrastructure" through legislative means, by authorizing commercial banks and brokers to lead digital asset operations and establishing a domestic compliance trading system that is highly isolated from global mainstream markets.Elvira Nabiullina, the Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, proposed at the annual meeting of credit institutions to allow qualified commercial banks and brokerage firms to obtain cryptocurrency trading licenses through a filing process, utilizing their existing anti-money laundering (AML) systems to monitor the flow of funds, and limiting banks' risk exposure to such assets to no more than 1% of their capital.According to a draft by the State Duma's Financial Market Committee, the new regulations are expected to be ready by July 1, 2026, aiming to change the current lack of transparency in the legal status of digital assets and guide decentralized P2P trading to regulated domestic platforms. Analysts point out that, with the deepening of EU and US sanctions against Russia, this move aims to create a "self-sufficient compliance internal circulation."

According to Cryptopolitan, the Republic of Buryatia and the Transbaikal Territory in Russia will lift the temporary restrictions on cryptocurrency mining on March 15. These two Siberian regions implemented seasonal restrictions last year to address energy shortages during the autumn and winter months. However, reports indicate that the Moscow government plans to impose a five-year comprehensive mining ban on these two regions starting in 2026.Currently, Russia has completely banned cryptocurrency mining in 10 regions, including southern Irkutsk Oblast and several Caucasian republics, with these bans set to last until March 2031. The changing regulatory environment has made it difficult for Russian mining companies to plan investments. Notably, Russia's largest mining company, BitRiver, is facing bankruptcy proceedings, and its founder, Igor Runets, was detained in January on suspicion of tax evasion. The company's 100-megawatt mining data center project in the Republic of Buryatia has been completed but has never been put into operation.

According to DL News, the Central Bank of Russia has warned that financial pyramid scheme organizers in the country have largely turned to using cryptocurrencies. In 2025, Russian citizens sent funds to cryptocurrency wallets held by fraudsters, involving over 4,600 wallet addresses.The central bank discovered 7,087 financial pyramid schemes, fake brokers, and other fraudulent schemes last year, with 80% operating online, most of which used cryptocurrencies and money mules to transfer funds. In 2025, 84% of fraudsters used cryptocurrencies to raise funds, up from 77% in 2024. The Central Bank of Russia has ordered the blocking of 21,500 related web pages and social media posts.The central bank pointed out that fraudsters choose cryptocurrencies to maintain anonymity and evade punishment, and it has pledged to strengthen monitoring and increase efforts to combat cryptocurrency fraud.