Internet users in Russia have been targeted in an email campaign advertising the launch of an alleged cryptocurrency issued by the state. Potential victims are encouraged to follow a link to the website of the fraudulent investment scheme, security experts said.

As Russia continues to delay the adoption of cryptocurrency regulations, local advocates have appealed to Russian president Vladimir Putin to change the government’s approach to regulating the market.

The government of North Macedonia believes that an ongoing wave of false bomb threats against public targets in the country is coming from Russia and Iran. The authorities in Skopje also say that payments related to the attacks have been made with cryptocurrency to conceal traces. (Bitcoin.com)

Three Russians are going to spend time in high-security prison for stealing over a million U.S. dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency from another man. In addition, the court has also ordered them to fully compensate the victim for the damages, prosecutors announced.

As reported by the local press, Russia’s state-owned bank Sberbank has announced plans to introduce its own Decentralized Finance network in May of 2023.

A Russian company has unveiled a new fund intended to finance crypto mining operations in the country.

The establishment of Russia’s first mutual investment fund dedicated to financing cryptocurrency mining operations is underway. According to a report by the Russian press, it will be available to qualified investors and will finance the acquisition of coin minting equipment.

Huobi and KuCoin, two of the world's largest crypto exchanges, have reportedly continued to provide services to customers of sanctioned Russian banks.

Russian marketplaces on the dark web have continued to operate despite Western sanctions and efforts to shut them down, according to a report accessing the illicit blockchain space amid the world’s “first crypto war.” Ransomware actors and high-risk crypto exchanges have also remained active.

Crypto exchange BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik may be a candidate for prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. That’s according to a statement by one of his lawyers for Russian media. The latest court hearing in Vinnik’s case has been postponed. David Rizk, who represents Vinnik in the U.S., commented on Vinnik’s potential return home in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency, quoted by other Russian media and crypto news outlets. “I wouldn’t rule out that possibility,” he said. (Bitcoin.com)