The websites include Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin.it, the Russian-language BTCsec.com security website, the London-incorporated Indacoin exchange, and Russian Bitcoin community website Coinspot.ru.
Bitcoin’s legal status in Russia is actually quite complicated. The authorities there said in February 2014 that it would be illegal to use it as a money substitute, highlighting its potential for criminal use by money-launderers and terrorists. In September 2014, deputy finance minister Aleksey Moiseev said an outright ban may be instituted in 2015. Legislators have recently been talking about heavy fines for the use of cryptocurrencies.
However, the draft bill that would actually ban Bitcoin in Russia was recently sent back for revisions by the Ministry of Economic Development, which complained that its definition of ‘money substitutes’ was too general and could hamper corporate marketing programs.
The blockages are not comprehensive, for example, the Bulgarian website BTC-E, which does a fair amount of trade in ruble-Bitcoin transactions, is not blocked in Russia. However, the targeting of the community resource websites in particular may suggest that the authorities are trying to send a message.
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