Searches at "Gorbushka": law enforcement officers are clearing out illegal crypto exchangers
At the legendary Moscow market "Gorbushka," large-scale operational measures continue for the second day. According to my information, this involves suppressing the activities of a network of illegal digital currency exchange points operating under the guise of ordinary retail outlets.
Security forces are working in the pavilions and service areas of the shopping complex. The operation has affected both the main building and the adjacent "Gorbushkin Dvor" complex, known as "New Gorbushka." According to preliminary information, large sums of cash, financial documents, and electronic equipment used for transactions have already been seized.
According to my information, employees of the illegal exchange services are blocked inside the premises, and investigative actions are being conducted with them on site. Part of the complex's territory is cordoned off, and visitor access is restricted. Information about detainees has not yet been officially confirmed, but eyewitnesses report the presence of a significant number of operatives since early morning.
Context: the fight against shadow infrastructure
It is important to note that this is not the first such operation recently. A week earlier, FSB and Ministry of Internal Affairs officers suppressed the activities of nine illegal exchange points in the Moscow City business center. More than 20 people were detained then, and according to investigators, Ukrainian call centers used these venues to launder funds stolen from Russian citizens.
Notably, the searches in Moscow City took place just three days after the signing of the law on basic cryptocurrency regulation. Although the main provisions of the document come into force on September 1, 2026, and existing businesses are given a transition period until July 1, 2027, security forces, apparently, do not intend to wait.
It seems that the owners of illegal exchange offices that operated at Gorbushka for years did not manage or did not want to adapt to the new realities. Now they will have to deal with criminal prosecution rather than administrative fines.
My analysis: We are observing a clear signal to the market: the transition period is not an indulgence for shadow businesses. The state is demonstrating its readiness to fiercely combat illegal exchange points that not only violate currency legislation but, according to investigators, are also used to launder criminal proceeds. Legal players should hurry to bring their activities into compliance with the new law, otherwise, they will face the fate of the Gorbushka exchangers.