Russia Moves to Legalize Crypto Seizure in Crime Cases
Russia is preparing new legislation that would allow law enforcement to seize digital assets like Bitcoin in criminal cases.
The move comes as the country modernizes its legal tools to combat financial crimes involving cryptocurrencies.
Deputy Justice Minister Vadim Fedorov announced the bill during a national legal forum focused on emerging tech risks.
Under the draft law, cryptocurrencies will be classified as property, giving courts and investigators the legal backing to confiscate them.
Officers could seize hardware wallets, storage devices, and other tools that provide access to digital assets. Courts may also issue orders to freeze transactions during investigations.
Fedorov said seizure methods would vary depending on the type and storage method of the crypto asset involved.
The Ministry of Justice wants to eliminate legal blind spots that hinder police from taking action against criminals using crypto.
Fedorov emphasized that this law would give investigators a more effective way to manage and secure digital currencies involved in illegal activity.
Russia has stepped up its regulatory focus on digital assets in recent years. This proposal is just one part of a broader push to tighten control over crypto’s role in money laundering, fraud, and illicit finance.
If passed, the bill could shift how Russian courts and investigators handle cryptocurrencies—and further signal state-backed efforts to regulate the digital economy.
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
