I have to wonder why the Russian government is cracking down so hard on cryptocurrencies. I think the most likely answer is that the government thinks cryptocurrencies could be used to fund the activities of the opposition. This has absolutely nothing to do with curbing money laundering or fighting crime. It is well-known that Russian oligarchs have transferred trillions of dollars worth of their money, much of it gained through corruption, to overseas financial institutions to be laundered there and to end up in their bank accounts in tax havens.