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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.

According to Kommersant, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law that grants Russian courts new powers to confiscate cryptocurrencies in criminal investigations.The law will amend the Russian Criminal Code to classify cryptocurrencies as a form of intangible property. Elena Ardabyeva, Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia, stated that the law formally incorporates existing digital asset confiscation protocols into the legal framework and provides a legal avenue for cooperation with foreign cryptocurrency exchanges.The law stipulates that requests for the confiscation of cryptocurrencies made by police or prosecutors must include detailed information such as the type of tokens, quantity, and wallet addresses. Experts suggest that the Kremlin may begin to block citizens' access to foreign cryptocurrency exchanges this year.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against the Russian cybersecurity company Operation Zero and its head, Sergey Sergeyevich Zelenyuk, due to allegations that the company funded activities aimed at stealing U.S. trade secrets through cryptocurrency.The sanctions also include five other related individuals, accused of using cyber attack tools to threaten U.S. national security. This action stems from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice last year. An Australian citizen, Peter Williams, has admitted to stealing proprietary software from the U.S. defense contractor he worked for and providing the secrets to Operation Zero in exchange for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.Williams has pleaded guilty to two counts of trade secret theft. The U.S. Treasury stated that Operation Zero primarily engages in the trading of exploit tools, which can exploit software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, steal data, or control devices. The company also pays individuals who carry out attacks through a bounty system. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that if anyone steals U.S. trade secrets, the U.S. government will hold them accountable and will continue to protect sensitive technology and national security.

According to Bitsmedia, Russian retail brokerage Finam has disclosed that it has registered an investment fund aimed at cryptocurrency mining with the country's central bank. The fund is currently in the final stages of operational preparation and will soon launch a series of investment products related to digital asset mining.

According to a report by TASS, Ivan Chebeskov, the Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, stated at the Alfa Talk conference that the daily cryptocurrency trading volume in Russia is approximately 50 billion rubles (about 650 million USD), with millions of citizens participating.Chebeskov mentioned that the use of cryptocurrency in Russia continues to grow, involving millions of citizens and trillions of rubles. He stated that this trend indicates a significant increase in the interest of the Russian public in digital assets as a savings tool. The Russian Ministry of Finance has previously pointed out that the market size reaches trillions of rubles.

According to TASS, Vladimir Chistyukhin, First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, stated at the Alfa Talk conference that the Central Bank of Russia plans to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a Russian stablecoin in 2026.Chistyukhin mentioned that the traditional stance of the Central Bank of Russia does not allow such operations, but considering the practices of multiple countries, it will reassess the related risks and prospects, and submit the research results for public discussion.

According to Jinshi Data, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell stated that the European Union will prohibit the digital currency of the Russian Central Bank.

The President of the United States, Trump, announced a trade agreement with India. According to the agreement, the U.S. will significantly reduce tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% in exchange for India lowering trade barriers, stopping the purchase of Russian oil, and instead buying oil from the U.S. and possibly Venezuela. Trump stated that Indian Prime Minister Modi has committed to significantly increasing "buying American," including energy, technology, and agricultural products worth over $500 billion.Under the agreement, the U.S. will eliminate the previously imposed 25% punitive tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil. Additionally, Modi stated that this agreement will allow "Make in India" products to enjoy lower tariffs and expressed gratitude to Trump.Analysts believe that this move will align India's tariff levels with those of other Asian countries, helping to eliminate the drag on Indian exports and the rupee exchange rate. The Indian Minister of Trade also stated that this agreement will bring more development opportunities for the Indian economy.It is worth noting that the details of this agreement have not been fully disclosed, including the specific timeline for tariff reductions and the list of U.S. goods that India has committed to purchasing. At the same time, Trump hinted that India might replace some of its Russian oil imports by purchasing oil from Venezuela.

According to the Russian newspaper "Kommersant," the large Russian Bitcoin mining company BitRiver is facing a serious crisis and may be heading towards bankruptcy. Its parent company has had bankruptcy observation procedures initiated by an arbitration court, with the main creditor, the En+ Group's "Siberian Infrastructure" company, demanding the repayment of over $9.2 million in debt.The report points out that BitRiver has fallen into a legal dispute with En+ due to failing to deliver equipment after not receiving advance payments for it. At the same time, the company is also facing multiple lawsuits from power companies seeking to recover unpaid electricity bills, totaling hundreds of millions of rubles. Due to its inability to pay electricity bills and local bans, BitRiver has ceased operations at several data centers in Irkutsk, Buryatia, and other locations. It is estimated that the company previously held over 50% of the mining market in Russia. The company is currently negotiating changes in ownership and the transfer of remaining assets.According to previous news from ChainCatcher, the CEO of the Russian Bitcoin mining company BitRiver was arrested on suspicion of tax evasion.

According to Cointelegraph, Igor Runets, the founder and CEO of the Russian Bitcoin mining company BitRiver, has been detained on suspicion of tax evasion.Documents from the Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow show that Runets was detained on January 30 and charged on January 31 with three counts of tax evasion related to concealed assets, and he was placed under house arrest. If the appeal fails or is not filed, the house arrest order will take effect on February 4, and Runets will be restricted to his home for the duration of the case.Founded in 2017, BitRiver is one of the largest Bitcoin mining companies in Russia, operating multiple large data centers in Siberia. According to Bloomberg, by the end of 2024, Runets has accumulated approximately $230 million in net assets through his cryptocurrency mining business.Since being sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, BitRiver has faced multiple challenges, including the cessation of infrastructure use by Japan's SBI Bank, unpaid employee wages, and two lawsuits from Siberian infrastructure suppliers.

The Russian Constitutional Court recently ruled that cryptocurrency assets fall under the category of property protected by property rights, a decision that is expected to have far-reaching implications for future civil disputes and criminal cases involving cryptocurrency assets.Ignat Likhunov, head of the Russian law firm Cartesius, stated that this ruling provides clear legal grounds for law enforcement agencies and courts when dealing with issues related to stolen or disputed digital assets, and establishes an important precedent. The ruling also clarifies that as long as cryptocurrency assets are legally obtained, their property rights should be protected by the judiciary, even if they have not been declared to tax authorities.The case originated from a civil lawsuit filed by Moscow resident Dmitry Timchenko. In 2023, Timchenko lent 1,000 USDT to another party, but the latter failed to return it as agreed. A lower court had previously dismissed his claim on the grounds that "stablecoins are not within the scope of digital financial asset legislation." The Constitutional Court pointed out that failing to declare cryptocurrency assets does not automatically negate property rights, and the relevant declaration obligations only apply to miners.As this ruling comes into effect, Russia is advancing a new round of cryptocurrency regulatory legislation. Analysts believe that this judgment provides clearer judicial protection for cryptocurrency holders before the legislation is completed.

According to market news, Nikolay Shulginov, chairman of the Russian Energy Committee, stated that illegal cryptocurrency mining causes losses of over 20 billion rubles (approximately 250 million USD) annually to the Russian economy and energy sector, leading to power shortages, grid overloads, and affecting other users, including social facilities and newly built residential areas.Russia has legalized cryptocurrency mining since the end of 2024, requiring practitioners to register with the Federal Tax Service and pay taxes, but currently, less than one-third of practitioners have completed the registration. This week, the State Duma submitted a bill proposing to impose administrative fines of up to 2 million rubles for illegal mining, with repeat offenders facing fines of up to 10 million rubles. Shulginov further suggested introducing criminal liability, and the Ministry of Justice has also proposed imprisonment or "forced labor" for unregistered miners.In addition, the Duma has passed a bill in the first reading that authorizes the Ministry of Finance to regulate the cryptocurrency market (including mining) to eliminate administrative barriers and increase the industry registration rate.

The chairman of the Financial Market Committee of the State Duma of Russia, Anatoly Aksakov, stated that a bill aimed at removing cryptocurrencies from the "special financial regulation" framework has been prepared, which may promote the common occurrence of cryptocurrencies in the lives of Russian residents in the future.Aksakov mentioned in an interview with Russian state television that the State Duma will focus on issues related to digital financial assets and cryptocurrencies during the upcoming spring session. According to the proposed bill, cryptocurrencies will no longer be regarded as special regulatory objects, and their use cases will become more normalized.He also pointed out that the bill allows non-professional investors to participate in the cryptocurrency market but sets a limit, stating that the amount an individual can purchase in digital currency must not exceed 300,000 rubles; professional market participants are not subject to this restriction. In addition, cryptocurrencies can be used for international settlements and, after being issued in Russia, can further enter the financial markets of other countries.

According to CoinDesk, the ruble stablecoin A7A5 grew beyond USDT and USDC last year, with a supply increase of nearly $90 billion.This stablecoin was launched by A7 LLC and is associated with the Russian state-owned Promsvyazbank and Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor, primarily helping Russian users bypass banking restrictions for cross-border payments. Despite Western sanctions, the ruble has appreciated over 40% against the dollar this year, mainly benefiting from capital controls and central bank interventions.

The Russian Ministry of Justice recently submitted a draft amendment to the Criminal Code aimed at combating unregistered illegal cryptocurrency mining activities in the country.According to the draft, illegal mining activities will face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles (approximately $19,000) or up to two years of compulsory labor. If illegal mining activities involve substantial profits, the maximum prison term can reach 5 years, along with fines of up to 2.5 million rubles (approximately $31,800) or 480 hours of compulsory labor. The amendment also sets penalties of up to 5 years of imprisonment or compulsory labor for substantial profits realized by illegal "organized groups." Russian Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov stated that as of June 19, 2025, only about 30% of cryptocurrency miners have completed registration and achieved operational legalization, while most practitioners remain in the "gray area." According to current regulations, individual miners with a monthly electricity consumption of less than 6,000 kilowatt-hours are not required to register but still need to pay personal income tax.

The Russian police have detained 7 employees of "Russian Grids Moscow Region" (Россети Московский регион), who are suspected of assisting in illegal cryptocurrency mining operations within the Moscow region.The arrested individuals hold positions ranging from ordinary electricians to senior engineers. Investigators claim that these utility company employees provided paid services to illegal mining sites, including artificially lowering electricity meter readings and helping to evade scheduled and unscheduled inspections. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the preliminary economic damage caused by these actions is estimated at around 10 million rubles.

According to Crowdfund Insider, TRM Labs stated that it has traced stolen crypto assets from the 2022 LastPass vulnerability incident on-chain, with on-chain indicators suggesting the involvement of Russian cybercrime groups in the laundering process.TRM noted that although hackers used mixing tools like CoinJoin, they were still able to associate the flow of funds before and after the mixing back to the same group of attackers through de-mixing and behavioral continuity analysis. The related funds ultimately flowed into high-risk Russian exchanges Cryptex and Audi6, with the total amount involved estimated to exceed $28 million.

A traffic police officer in Ufa, Russia, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for stealing approximately 20 million rubles (equivalent to several hundred thousand dollars) in Bitcoin. The case dates back to 2022, when the officer illegally obtained access to the mobile phones of two detainees while handling a case, transferring BTC through a messaging app and a cryptocurrency wallet, accompanied by violent evidence collection. The court sentenced him to 7 years in a regular security prison, ordered him to compensate the victims approximately 20 million rubles, and stripped him of his police rank.

According to market news, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has teamed up with European law enforcement agencies to dismantle a multinational money laundering platform that primarily provided cryptocurrency cash-out services to cybercriminals. The platform, named E-Note, was operated by a Russian citizen and has handled over $70 million in illegal funds since 2017, including assets extorted or stolen from victims in the United States.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced the indictment of 39-year-old Russian citizen Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, charging him with conspiracy to commit money laundering. It is alleged that since 2010, the suspect has assisted cybercrime groups in transferring criminal proceeds across borders and converting cryptocurrency into cash through the E-Note payment processing service he controlled. Law enforcement agencies have seized his servers, mobile applications, and related domain names. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The head of brokerage services at Russian banking giant VTB, Andrey Yatskov, stated that they plan to allow clients to trade "real" cryptocurrencies directly through their brokerage accounts, rather than being limited to cryptocurrency derivatives.VTB is ready to test the cryptocurrency trading platform with "super-qualified clients," meaning those with a portfolio value exceeding $1.3 million or an annual income over $649,000. The Central Bank of Russia had previously opposed cryptocurrencies, but recent reports indicate that it is considering easing restrictions on cryptocurrency trading.