TechFlow News, April 21: According to DL News, the Russian government published a draft bill on the State Duma’s official website proposing criminal liability—including up to seven years of forced labor—for organizing cryptocurrency circulation without registration or prior approval from the Central Bank of Russia.
The draft states that ordinary violators face fines of up to approximately $4,000 and imprisonment of up to four years; operators of large cryptocurrency exchanges face fines of up to approximately $13,000, with responsible executives facing five to seven years’ imprisonment. The bill also proposes requiring most cryptocurrency transactions to be conducted via commercial bank apps and imposes penalties on industrial-scale cryptocurrency miners who fail to declare their activities. If approved by the State Duma and the President, the new regulations are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027.
