Russia

The US released Russian national Alexander Vinnik in a prisoner swap for American teacher Marc Fogel, who was detained in Russia on drug charges. Vinnik was convicted of laundering billions through his cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.

Russia’s Ministry of Energy has announced plans to establish a mandatory registry for crypto mining equipment, requiring all mining operations to register their hardware, according to a report from state-owned news agency TASS.

U.S President Donald Trump has found a new target for its Tariff wars-BRICS. To make the dollar great again, President Trump has announced that he would be imposing a 100% tariff on imports from any country adopting the BRICS currency. If enacted, it would double the cost of imported goods in the U.S., hence disrupting the trade and glocal economics dynamics.

Russian authorities have arrested ACA fighter Lamberd Akhiadov for allegedly murdering a traffic officer near Moscow’s Zaryadye Park. Officials claim he transferred cryptocurrency to relatives before the incident, prompting further scrutiny.

A Russian man has been charged with treason after the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) caught him donating crypto to the Ukrainian militants. The unnamed individual was sent to a maximum security penal colony under the charge of "providing financial assistance to a Ukrainian terrorist organisation.

The Biden administration is set to tighten AI chip export controls before leaving office, with new regulations expected as early as Friday to restrict global semiconductor trade.

Belgian artist Carl De Keyzer used photos from his Russia travels to create AI images for his book Putin’s Dream. Sharing them on Instagram sparked backlash and follower loss over questions of ethics and authenticity.

Developers have created AI-powered electricity meters that analyse consumer behavior, enabling power companies to detect and address energy theft effectively.

President Putin has called Bitcoin "unstoppable" and expressed confidence in crypto's growth, regardless of the US dollar's future. Russia is advancing digital asset adoption with a new crypto law, VAT exemptions for mining, and exploring crypto payments.

Stanislav Moiseev, founder of the Hydra darknet market, and 15 accomplices have been sentenced to prison for operating the illicit platform and crypto mixer. Hydra facilitated over $5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions before its closure.