"We will track every transaction." HUR explained why the Kremlin is introducing a "digital ruble"
Moscow wants to use a "digital ruble" to control its population, the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said.
"The Central Bank of the aggressor state of Russia plans to introduce the so-called "digital ruble" – an electronic code for the domestic currency created by Kremlin financiers," the department said.
According to him, from the beginning of 2026, state employees in the Russian Federation will begin to receive salaries in such "digital rubles."
The HUR emphasizes that thanks to this currency, Moscow will receive the following means of surveillance over the population:
→ The Russian Federation will fully control the circulation of the virtual ruble – it will track every transaction;
→ the spending of such rubles may be limited by the place of residence of the Russian or the type of goods;
→ The Kremlin will be able to block citizens' accounts and automatically deduct taxes and fines from them without a court decision;
→ social benefits will only be spent on specific groups of goods and services that will be determined by the government.
According to intelligence, the creation and implementation of a "digital ruble" could potentially lead to the emergence of a "behavioral loyalty" system, in which access to money and the freedom to manage it would depend on the political or social "reliability" of a Russian.
The HUR notes that the introduction of such a ruble is aimed at "strengthening total control over its own population and a tough financial policy in the face of sanctions and insane spending on the genocidal war against Ukraine."
- The "digital ruble" will be issued by the Central Bank of Russia, and it has been recognized as an official means of payment along with cash and non-cash rubles. Moscow expects that Russians will be able to use "digital rubles" en masse in 2025-2027.
- Digital equivalents of national currencies are planned to be introduced in non-authoritarian countries as well. For example, in Ukraine, they want to use the e-hryvnia as an additional means of payment, without limiting the scope of its use.
