Quote from: kryptqnick on March 02, 2023, 02:43:48 PM

When the full-scale war started, I've seen people in the Ukrainian human rights movement that wanted to suggest boycotting Bitcoin because it can be used by Russia to avoid sanctions. I successfully argued against it, saying that Bitcoin itself is a neutral technology that can't be blamed for how it's misused, can't be effectively banned and is also endorsed by both Ukrainian society and Ukrainian government. Even in the crypto area, there were cases of crypto exchanges following the international sanctions and thus restricting relevant Russian accounts from using the funds. And without big exchanges, it's hard to move a lot of funds around, especially if you have fiat and need to exchange it for Bitcon and then vice versa. I don't think Bitcoin should be a part of the conversation about undermining the Western impact on the enemies of freedom, and in the end I don't think Bitcoin played a major role helping Russia stay afloat and finance the war in practice.
As for arguments in support of Bitcoin, I'd emphasize the impracticability of trying to restrict its usage because it's decentralized and Russia can find ways anyway, and that Bitcoin also became a medium that brought lots of support to Ukraine in the form of donations (major funds, including "Come Back Alive" and the presidential "United24" accept cryptos, and there've been major news articles on how much money was gathered by Ukraine via crypto donations).

Good answer, and interesting about crypto exchanges following international sanctions.