“Your rubles will only be good for lighting a fire”: Cybercriminals reel from impact of sanctions

ReliaQuest analysts reviewed Russian-language cybercriminal forum chatter following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions, observing discussions about safeguarding and converting funds (including cryptocurrency and stablecoins), methods for transferring money via third countries or online banking, logistical impacts from courier and payment suspensions, difficulties conducting scams on blocked platforms, and the personal economic strain on individual criminals; the report is an observational threat-intel piece highlighting behavior changes rather than technical indicators or specific exploit activity.