Russia is quietly building the enforcement side of its crypto policy first, even as the broader market rules remain unfinished.
While lawmakers continue to debate how citizens and businesses will be allowed to use digital assets, the state is already finalizing how those assets can be taken away.
Key Takeaways
Russia is prioritizing crypto seizure mechanisms ahead of full market legalization
Digital assets will be explicitly treated as property under criminal law
Retail crypto access is coming, but with strict limits and payment bans
Enforcement comes before permission
In Moscow’s legislative process, a clear priority is emerging. Before cryptocurrencies are fully legalized or widely accessible, authorities want airtight procedures for freezing, seizing, and confiscating them. That approach moved another step forward this week after a key committee in the State Duma backed a bill that gives law enforcement sweeping powers over digital assets tied to criminal cases.
The proposal is now positioned for final approval, signaling that the state wants operational tools in place before crypto activity expands further inside the country.
Digital assets formally treated as property
At the heart of the bill is a legal reclassification. Cryptocurrencies and other digital assets would be explicitly recognized as property within Russia’s criminal and procedural codes. Until now, that status existed in fragments across different laws, creating uncertainty for investigators trying to secure assets during criminal proceedings.
By closing that gap, lawmakers argue they are removing a loophole that has slowed down corruption probes, financial crime cases, and asset recovery efforts involving digital currencies.
How seizures would actually work
Instead of vague enforcement powers, the draft law lays out concrete methods. Authorities would be able to confiscate crypto either indirectly or directly. In some cases, investigators could seize physical infrastructure such as servers, laptops, or cold storage devices. In others, they could move digital funds into wallets controlled by the state.
The objective is to ensure that crypto cannot be hidden, moved, or rendered inaccessible while a case is still under investigation or awaiting a court ruling.
Political backing from the ruling party
The initiative has strong institutional support. Members of the ruling United Russia party describe the bill as overdue, framing it as a necessary modernization of law enforcement rather than a crackdown on innovation.
According to committee chair Pavel Krasheninnikov, the measure brings Russia closer to international standards and gives investigators tools that already exist in many other jurisdictions.
A separate track for full crypto regulation
Notably, this enforcement push is running on a different timeline from Russia’s long-promised crypto market framework. Comprehensive rules governing issuance, trading, and ownership are still under construction and are expected to land later, based on a policy blueprint prepared by the Central Bank of Russia.
That framework is expected to introduce strict oversight, recognize crypto and stablecoins as monetary assets, and tightly control who can participate in the market and under what conditions.
Limited access for everyday investors
Lawmakers have already signaled that retail access will come with caps. According to Anatoly Aksakov, ordinary citizens would be allowed to buy cryptocurrencies legally, but only within predefined limits. Current discussions point to an annual ceiling measured in hundreds of thousands of rubles, though the final figure has not been locked in.
At the same time, proposed legislation would ban the use of cryptocurrencies as a domestic payment method, keeping the ruble firmly in control of everyday transactions.
Courts draw a line on ownership rights
Even as enforcement powers expand, Russia’s judiciary has sent its own signal. The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation has confirmed that cryptocurrencies qualify as property and are entitled to judicial protection. This means owners retain legal rights, even when assets are frozen or seized under criminal law.
The result is a distinctly Russian crypto model taking shape: ownership is acknowledged, access is restricted, and enforcement comes first.
