A recent column by Russian analyst Anastasia Tselykh asserts that the country's central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital ruble, does not provide significant advantages for ordinary citizens.

Tselykh questions the CBDC's potential for cross-border payments and sanctions evasion, stating that it remains unclear how these transactions would work and that international regulatory bodies can still track digital fiat currency transactions.

The central bank has faced resistance, with major banks withdrawing from the pilot project, and surveys showing a lack of interest among Russian citizens in using the digital ruble.