Tag Archives: russia

Tkachev indicates a Bitcoin reserve to ensure Russia’s financial stability. Russia’s crypto policies are evolving, including tax breaks and mining authorization. Russian State Duma Deputy Anton Tkachev has suggested that the national Bitcoin reserve be created in order to strengthen financial stability in Russia further. The deputy of the New People party proposed the initiative and sent it to Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. He suggested that Bitcoin could become an independent asset,...

A Russian court has sentenced Stanislav Moiseev, the leader of the notorious online drug marketplace Hydra, to life in prison alongside a fine of four million rubles (approximately $37,500). Fifteen other members of the group received prison terms ranging from eight to 23 years and were collectively fined 16 million rubles worth around $150,000.The charges against them included the production and distribution of illegal drugs and psychotropic substances across Russia and...

In an effort to tackle electricity shortages, Russian officials disclosed plans to suspend cryptocurrency mining in several regions this winter. The ban will impact the Irkutsk region, portions of Buryatia, the Zabaikalsky region in Siberia, and six North Caucasus areas, including Chechnya and Dagestan. Mining will also be prohibited in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The mining suspension in Siberia will last from...

Russia has sentenced Marat Tambiyev, a former mid-ranking investigator, to 16 years in jail after he was caught accepting a bribe of 1,032 bitcoins, which is currently worth around $65 million, from hackers he was investigating. The bribe originated from members of the Infraud Organization hacking group, which Tambiyev was tasked with probing while working for the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR). Russia’s Bribery Scandal Tambiev has been with the ICR since 2011,...

U.S. authorities have charged Russian citizens Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov for allegedly operating a cryptocurrency money laundering service tied to Russian cybercrime. The U.S. Department of State has issued a $10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or conviction of each. International Crackdown on Russian Cybercrime The United States Treasury, in coordination with international partners, announced it had taken action to disrupt the...

Russian-speaking threat actors who come from former Soviet Union are the primary drivers of various types of crypto-related cybercrime, including ransomware, illegal crypto exchanges, and darknet markets, according to the latest report by TRM Labs. In fact, ransomware groups that speak Russian were also found to be responsible for at least 69% of all ransomware earnings in 2023, totaling over $500 million. Russian-Speaking Threat Actors Dominate In its latest report,...

USDT is one of the most widely adopted stablecoins, which are blockchain-based currencies that are tied - or tethered - to fiat currencies. Tether's mission is to offer a safer digital asset that isn't affected by market volatility in the same way that Bitcoin is. In der sich ständig weiterentwickelnden Welt der Kryptowährungen haben sich Stablecoins als unverzichtbare Stütze erwiesen. Sie bieten Stabilität inmitten der Volatilität und ermöglichen es Anlegern, die Vorteile der...

Wally Adeyemo, Undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury, released an official statement saying Russia is increasingly resorting to alternative payment methods, such as the stablecoin Tether (USDT), to evade sanctions and sustain its military operations. The hearing, titled “Countering Illicit Finance, Terrorism, and Sanctions Evasion,” marks the committee’s second discussion on the topic within the last six months. Russia Employs Tether to Evade Sanctions In his testimony, Ademayo...

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has escalated its enforcement efforts by tightening its grip on individuals and entities operating within the financial services and technology sectors in Russia, particularly those involved in virtual assets, enabling evasion of US sanctions. The enforcement agency claimed that these individuals and entities played a crucial role in facilitating transactions or providing services aimed at aiding other designated entities in...

CommEX, a crypto exchange that previously took over Binance’s operations in Russia after it decided to exit the country, has revealed its intention to cease operations in the country. Binance had initially announced its departure from Russia in September 2023, stating that the process would take approximately one year to complete. CommEX Announces Gradual Wind-Down of Operations In a post on X, CommEX Russia mentioned that the exchange will wind down operations gradually...