The Russian Supreme Court has officially recognized cryptocurrency as a form of theft in a ruling that updates previous legal classifications.
On June 16, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation updated a 2002 ruling that outlines judicial practices concerning theft and robbery, now including digital rubles, digital rights, and cryptocurrency as items that can be stolen, as reported by RAPSI.
The court specified that the theft of cashless funds is considered complete once the money is withdrawn from the victim's account, emphasizing that only cashless assets in accounts or electronic money are subject to such classifications.
In cases where multiple withdrawals from a victim's account occur under a single intent, these actions will be treated as one continuous crime.
The unanimous decision by the Plenary Session marks a significant legal recognition of digital assets in theft cases. Annually, over 26,000 individuals in Russia face convictions related to theft from bank accounts or electronic money, according to judicial statistics from TASS.
This ruling is part of a broader trend by the Supreme Court regarding cryptocurrency; earlier in June 2023, the court categorized the conversion of bitcoins into rubles as money laundering, and in May 2024, it required verification of cryptocurrency wallet ownership in legal proceedings.
