It will actually be more of a hindrance to the long term success of cryptocurrency if Russia started using it more in an attempt to bypass sanctions or earn new sources of revenue. It would slowly bring the attention of more politicians if they discovered it was supplying a source of revenue, or way for them to move around money outside of the traditional banking system which has them pretty cut off. Once those sirens start going it might very quickly lead to bans on wider usage, along with the guise of energy preservation, which would be extremely damaging for any current holders of cryptocurrency. Let's hope Putin continues to discourage it's use and mining.
Yes. Russia embracing crypto just to avoid economic sanctions, will give a bad picture of the whole industry. This will force countries to take drastic measures against crypto/Blockchain tech in order to minimize its growth worldwide. I'd prefer Russia to steer clear from crypto in order to prevent other countries from declaring it "illegal" for mainstream use. Of course, crypto will still survive because of its decentralized and censorship-resistant design. But it wouldn't be as widely used as before since people will be afraid of getting into it in order to avoid being prosecuted by the government. No one knows what's in Putin's mind right now so we can only hope for the best. Just my thoughts
