Telegram has had $500 million of its bonds frozen in Russia because of Western sanctions, blocking payments to Russian holders. The company’s business continues to grow globally, with strong revenues and plans for a future IPO despite the bond freeze.

Over $35 million in cryptocurrency stolen from LastPass users since 2022 has been traced to Russian cybercriminals using weak master passwords and laundering funds through mixers and Russian exchanges. TRM Labs found the thefts continued for years, showing that even encrypted vaults can be compromised if security practices are weak.

Russia has once again drawn a firm line on cryptocurrency, reaffirming that Bitcoin and other digital assets cannot be used for payments inside the country, with all domestic transactions required to be settled exclusively in rubles.

Russia has confirmed that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum cannot be used for payments, with all domestic transactions required to be in rubles. At the same time, the country allows crypto for cross-border trade and investment, with banks offering related products under strict rules.

A 21-year-old unemployed Russian man, misguided that cryptocurrency was something that was stored in a safety vault just like any other fiat or valuables, broke into local cryptocurrency exchanges and attempted to steal the digital assets using brute force.

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.