Share this article
Russian Court Overturns Cryptocurrency Media Ban
A city-level court in Russia has revoked a ban issued in 2016 that blocked cryptocurrency media site bitcoininfo.ru, among others.
By Wolfie Zhao
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:01 a.m. Published Jun 5, 2018, 9:00 a.m.
A city court in St. Petersburg, Russia, has overturned a decision made by a district court in 2016 that effectively blocked cryptocurrency media site bitcoininfo.ru for the country's inhabitants.
The decision came about after the court received an order from Russia's Supreme Court in April to review the case, as previously reported by CoinDesk.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
"The St. Petersburg City Court quashed the decision of the district court to recognize the information posted on the Bitcoininfo.ru website," the city court was quoted as saying in a Tass report Tuesday.
The website's owner told the news agency that the St. Petersburg city prosecutor's statements disclosed that about 100 cryptocurrency media sites had been blocked following the ruling.
In July 2016, the Vyborg district court of St. Petersburg ruled to block bitcoininfo.ru without allowing the site's owners go through an initial trial. The basis of the ruling was that cryptocurrencies are "a means of virtual payment and accumulation," and, thus, providing related information is illegal as it could undermine the country's fiat currency.
Following the ban, the St. Petersburg city court also declined the site owners' appeal to reconsider the case, the report said, until the supreme court overturned the decision.
The latest ruling comes as Russia is in the process of drawing up and passing a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry – one expected to be ready by summer of this year, as previously demanded by President Vladimir Putin.
St. Petersburg image via Shutterstock
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Asia Morning Briefing: Data shows legacy media took a more balanced view of bitcoin in 2025
Media attention shifted from bitcoin’s environmental footprint to crime and kidnapping in 2025, while overall sentiment remained broadly neutral, according to crypto intelligence platform Perception.
What to know:
- In 2025, mainstream media coverage of Bitcoin became more balanced, with neutral reporting surpassing negative stories.
- The shift in narrative was driven by the exhaustion of earlier critiques rather than increased enthusiasm for Bitcoin.
- AI emerged as the dominant topic in media, overshadowing Bitcoin and driving more significant sentiment swings.
Top Stories
