Roskomnadzor: How Russia's Internet Censorship Affects Crypto and Blockchain
When you hear Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal executive body that controls media, telecommunications, and internet content. Also known as the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media, it's the agency that decides what Russians can and can't access online. This isn't just about blocking websites—it's about controlling financial freedom. Since 2021, Roskomnadzor has been actively blocking crypto exchanges, freezing wallets linked to foreign platforms, and pressuring banks to cut off crypto-related transactions. If you're trading Bitcoin, staking ETH, or even using a privacy coin like Monero in Russia, you're operating in a legal gray zone—and Roskomnadzor is watching.
Roskomnadzor doesn't work alone. It follows directives from the Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance, both of which oppose decentralized finance. The result? Major exchanges like Binance, Kraken, and Bybit have been blocked, forcing users to rely on VPNs or peer-to-peer platforms. Even decentralized apps (dApps) that don’t require KYC get flagged if they’re hosted on domains linked to foreign servers. Privacy coins are outright banned under anti-money laundering rules, and mining operations are treated as illegal energy theft unless they get special state approval. This isn’t just about control—it’s about keeping financial power centralized. The same agency that blocks Telegram also shuts down crypto airdrop pages, labels blockchain voting tools as "unauthorized," and removes any content that suggests you can bypass the ruble.
But here’s the twist: Russians still use crypto. Millions do. They trade on local P2P platforms like LocalBitcoins and Paxful, mine using leftover power from state-owned plants, and even use crypto to pay for goods when banks refuse to process payments. The irony? Roskomnadzor’s crackdown has pushed innovation underground. Projects that once relied on Russian users—like DeFi protocols or NFT marketplaces—now design their platforms to avoid detection. Some even create mirror sites under different domains or use blockchain-based domain systems like ENS to stay alive. Meanwhile, regulators keep adding new rules, but users keep finding ways around them. It’s a cat-and-mouse game where the mouse keeps winning.
What you’ll find in this collection are real stories from the frontlines: how Russian traders bypass Roskomnadzor’s blocks, why privacy coins are targeted more than Bitcoin, and how blockchain voting and cross-chain swaps are being used to sidestep state control. You’ll see how a 2,000 MW electricity allocation for mining in Pakistan contrasts with Russia’s crackdown, how Taiwan’s banking restrictions mirror Russia’s approach, and why Nigerian businesses face similar hurdles. These aren’t theoretical debates—they’re daily survival tactics in a world where your wallet could be frozen by a government agency with no court order. This is crypto under pressure—and it’s not going away.