Russia

The European Union has just released its 19th sanction on Russia, putting in place even stricter regulations that cut off cryptocurrency platforms and a ruble-backed stablecoin used by Russian entities to bypass financial restrictions.

Russian police raided a site in St. Petersburg and seized over 2,700 crypto mining machines that had been secretly running for seven years. The operators are accused of tampering with electricity meters to steal power, causing major losses to the grid.

A ruble-backed stablecoin linked to a sanctioned Russian bank appeared at Singapore’s Token2049 conference, raising questions about compliance. Despite U.S. and U.K. sanctions, the coin continues to operate and gain use in international markets, showing the challenge of enforcing rules across borders.

Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, revealed he survived a near-fatal poisoning in 2018 after a suspicious package was left at his home. The attack happened during a dispute with Russian authorities over encryption keys, leaving Durov seriously ill for weeks.

A leaked document has exposed a sprawling crypto operation linked to Moscow, revealing nearly $8 billion in digital assets moved through shadowy networks to bypass Western sanctions and fund political influence campaigns in Moldova.

Bitcoin tumbled under the $115,000 mark following the escalating geopolitical tensions and renewed political interference from former President Donald Trump continues to rattled investor confidence.

The European Union has sanctioned a network of individuals and entities accused of leveraging digital assets to circumvent sanctions and finance pro-Russian disinformation efforts throughout Europe.

Russian police shut down a large illegal crypto mining farm in St. Petersburg that stole electricity and caused over 10 million rubles in damage. At the same time, authorities warned the public about rising crypto scams where fake traders trick people into handing over their money and account access.

A Russian influencer known as “Bitmama” was sentenced to seven years in prison for scamming investors out of $23 million in a fake Bitcoin investment scheme. She promised to convert cash into crypto abroad but instead kept the money, and tried to flee before being arrested at the border.

A7A5, a Russian ruble-backed stablecoin launched in Kyrgyzstan might be Russia's new found attempt to build at alternative payment system outside of the western financial rails.