Russian lawmaker Anton Gorelkin accused Western countries of pursuing political goals and said it would not be the last time pressure is exerted on Russia's cryptocurrency infrastructure.

"To the investors who underestimated this risk, my condolences," Gorelkin wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

"But it is worth recognising that it is impossible to completely block this market for Russia," he said. "Cryptocurrencies will remain one of the most effective tools for circumventing sanctions, although USDT can be safely deleted from this list."

($1 = 89.2500 roubles)