In a scene straight out of a low-budget action flick, a young man in St. Petersburg tried to pull off a crypto heist armed with nothing more dangerous than airsoft and smoke grenades.
The 21-year-old burst into a cryptocurrency exchange office tucked inside an apartment hotel on Khersonskaya Street, detonating noise-making grenades and billowing smoke to terrify the staff, and then demanded they transfer crypto funds straight into his wallet.
The explosion was fake, but the crimes are real
Sounds serious, right? Problem is, the grenades were fake. Or is this luck? Police and bomb disposal experts quickly confirmed they were harmless replicas designed for dramatic effect but lacking any real punch.
Russian National Guard troops helped apprehend the would-be robber before he could sneak away with a dime.
This botched caper spotlights a growing trend of violent attacks targeting crypto owners in Russia.
Over past months, criminals have escalated from cyber thefts to brazen kidnappings and even murders, all in pursuit of digital wallets packed with virtual gold.
One chilling example involved the kidnapping and killing of Russian crypto millionaire Roman Novak and his wife in Dubai, reportedly to seize access to his crypto fortune.
Confiscating cryptocurrency during criminal investigations
Fortunately, the crime wave has rattled not just investors but lawmakers too.
As legalization development, Russia’s State Duma passed legislation formalizing how authorities can confiscate cryptocurrency during criminal investigations, either to return stolen assets to owners or to seize them for the state.
This law also welcomes cooperation from international crypto platforms to aid investigations. The grey zone is less gray.
Security and safeguarding
And the cleaning is much needed. Moscow’s Ministry of Internal Affairs flagged fake crypto investment schemes as top tricks exploited by fraudsters this year, a reminder that in Russia’s crypto scene, danger lurks both online and off.
So, while this grenade-wielding wannabe robber provided a dim flash of comic relief, the rising tide of crypto-related crime in Russia continues to cast an undoubtedly dark shadow over the whole industry, underscoring the urgent need for tighter security and legal safeguards.
Cryptocurrency and Web3 expert, founder of Kriptoworld
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With years of experience covering the blockchain space, András delivers insightful reporting on DeFi, tokenization, altcoins, and crypto regulations shaping the digital economy.
