Svmuu News: Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Financial Markets Committee, stated that consideration of the bill on criminal liability for illegal cryptocurrency transactions will be postponed until after the election of the new Duma. The spring session ended on July 27, and with lawmakers on recess from August through September, the bill is expected to move forward during the fall session. The bill passed its first reading in early July and provides for fines and up to seven years in prison; the penal provisions are set to take effect on July 1, 2027. Aksakov said that Russians will only be able to buy and sell cryptocurrencies through institutions listed in the Central Bank’s registry, and that direct peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions will be subject to criminal liability; however, he denied that the law would target ordinary exchange operators and P2P users. Meanwhile, the Russian government’s “Digital Currency and Digital Rights Bill” has also been postponed; originally scheduled to take effect on July 1, it has been delayed until September 1. Voting in the State Duma elections will conclude on September 20.