The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation equated the digital ruble and cryptocurrency to property: a new era of criminal protection
The Russian judicial system has taken a significant step forward in regulating digital assets. The Supreme Court, in an updated Plenum resolution dedicated to cases of theft, robbery, and armed robbery, has officially recognized the digital ruble, digital rights, and cryptocurrency as potential subjects of theft. This decision, made under the chairmanship of Igor Krasnov, fundamentally changes the legal landscape for the entire domestic crypto industry.
Digital assets have been granted property status
The key point of the resolution is the expansion of the list of valuables that can be unlawfully seized. Previously, only physical items, cash, and documentary securities were protected under criminal law. Now, non-cash funds have been added, including digital rubles, non-documentary securities, digital rights, and, most importantly, digital currency.
This means that the digital ruble, as the third form of national currency from the Bank of Russia, is now unequivocally considered a legitimate object for qualifying as theft. A similar legal approach applies to cryptocurrencies. Thus, any digital assets are now under full criminal law protection, on par with traditional material forms of property.
The moment of the crime and legal nuances
The Supreme Court has also detailed the timing. A crime is considered complete from the moment assets are debited from the victim's account — it is then that the perpetrator gains a real opportunity to dispose of the stolen items. The court also clarified the situation with multiple consecutive debits: if all actions are united by a single intent, they are qualified as one continuing crime, rather than a series of separate episodes.
Statistics show that more than 26,000 people are convicted annually in Russia for theft from bank accounts. Now this law enforcement practice will be extended to digital currency as well.
My comment as an analyst: This decision is not just a formality but a tectonic shift. It closes the legal vacuum that for years allowed criminals to feel unpunished when stealing cryptocurrencies. Now, investors and holders of digital rubles gain a state protection tool similar to the protection of bank deposits. The market becomes safer, and therefore more attractive for institutional capital.