Banks can't halt their ATMs and no one can ever withdraw their money even at desperate times. That's why purchases made through crypto have been happening there.
Although this news might not be from Russia, it's possible that it's also happening there.
News:
Danish Reporters in Ukraine Buy Used Car with BitcoinWith the war crisis, people in the affected countries will find a way how to get their assets to safety. And crypto is indeed a very good option because if they will send it to their own wallet, they have the full control and the government won't know its existence. So in this situation, they can buy from the exchange but they need to transfer it fast to noncustodial wallets where they have their own keys. Otherwise, if they will leave it to their centralized exchanges, the exchange can easily freeze their accounts in case their government mandates it. Purchase via crypto will increase in the coming days as they want to make it fast and anonymous as much as possible.
They are doing that and it is for sure.
In times of war, you need cash and money and the wealth you have in the bank is going to be unuseful if the banks have been closed and won't allow money to come out from them.
CEXs are also like the banks and they can do the same as freezing accounts, it's not safe ever since to leave their funds there.