Andrey Zubarev, Senior Researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s Digital Finance Studies Department, commented on the new law “On Digital Currency and Digital Rights,” which is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
According to him, there is currently no legally regulated mechanism for purchasing cryptocurrency in Russia, although owning Bitcoin and other digital assets is not prohibited.
“It appears that the law will not take effect on July 1, 2026, as it will not have time to pass the second and third readings in the State Duma and receive approval from the Federation Council,” noted Andrey Zubarev.
He explained that Russians can currently legally own cryptocurrency, receive it as a gift, and store it in their own crypto wallets. However, there is still no specific regulated mechanism for purchasing digital assets within the country.
“At the moment, there is no legal—in the sense of being legislatively regulated—way to buy cryptocurrency in Russia. However, there are exchange services in the country where you can purchase major cryptocurrencies with cash and have them credited to your own crypto wallet; this is not prohibited,” emphasized Andrey Zubarev.