Crypto news

The Russian judicial system has taken a fundamental step in recognizing digital assets as full-fledged objects of civil circulation. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has officially clarified that the digital ruble, cryptocurrency, and digital rights can now be considered as objects of theft, robbery, or armed robbery. The corresponding resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court was adopted at a special meeting chaired by Igor Krasnov.

This clarification is of colossal importance for the entire domestic crypto industry. Legally, it effectively establishes that any digital assets now fall under full criminal law protection on par with traditional material forms of property.

Which objects are now officially recognized as the subject of a crime

The highest judicial authority has detailed the list of valuables that can be unlawfully seized during theft, robbery, armed robbery, or other similar property crimes. Thus, the updated list includes:

• physical items;
• cash funds;
• documentary securities;
• other movable and immovable property.

To the latter category, the court directly added non-cash funds, including digital rubles, non-documentary securities, digital rights, and digital currency. Thanks to this decision, the digital ruble, representing the third form of national currency from the Bank of Russia, is now unequivocally considered a lawful object for qualifying theft. A similar legal approach now applies to cryptocurrency and any digital rights.

At what moment does the crime occur

Separately, in its resolution, the Supreme Court clarified the exact timing. A criminal offense is considered completed directly from the moment assets are debited from the victim's account. The point is that it is then that the perpetrator actually gains a real opportunity to dispose of the stolen property.

Furthermore, the highest judicial body described in detail the legal situation with several consecutive debits. For example, if one victim's savings are withdrawn in parts, in several transactions, but all the criminal's actions are united by a single intent, the act is qualified as one continuing crime, rather than a series of separate criminal episodes.

According to official judicial statistics, more than 26,000 people are consistently convicted annually in Russia for thefts from bank accounts or involving electronic funds.

My comment as an analyst: This decision is a tectonic shift in Russian legal practice. The market is finally receiving clear signals: digital assets are ceasing to be a "gray zone." For investors, this means an increased level of protection, but simultaneously a rise in responsibility. Now, any unlawful acquisition of cryptocurrency or the digital ruble will be qualified with the full severity of the criminal code, which will inevitably lead to an increase in the number of cases and stricter punishments for cybercriminals.