In force · in force from 3 March 2026 (the whole law; it has no own date, so 10 days after publication (general rule, art. 6 of Law 5-FZ of 14.06.1994))
38-ФЗ of 20 February 2026 «On amendments to Article 104.1 of the Criminal Code and to the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation»
Who is affected
Defendants in criminal cases who hold cryptocurrency.
Who is not affected
It creates no new crimes and does not ban holding cryptocurrency.
What changes
- Digital currency is property for the Criminal Code, including for confiscation.
- During searches, devices holding keys are seized with a specialist present, and the currency may be moved to a state address.
- Services that process transactions must give information about it at the request of a court or investigators.
What to do now
- If you face a case, discuss with a lawyer what happens to cryptocurrency before a search, not after.
- Do not keep seed phrases and keys on a phone that may be seized.
What is not yet clear
The government sets how seized cryptocurrency is stored; that act was not checked.