The Central Bank of Russia has said myths about the digital ruble circulate in instant messengers and on social networks, a point emphasized by a regulator representative, according to RBC reports.
Often the authors of these messages try to bolster their claims with quotes from laws or regulatory actions that have little to do with the digital ruble or that are taken out of context to scare readers and erode trust.
What is the digital ruble?
The digital ruble is a digital form of the Russian national currency that would exist alongside the current forms of money. The ruble would be available in three forms: cash, non cash, and digital, each equally valued, meaning a cash ruble has the same value as a digital ruble.
The plan has envisioned a phased rollout with thirteen banks preparing to introduce this new form. The digital ruble would be issued as a digital code and stored in digital wallets on the regulator platform. Wallets would be created through applications from commercial banks, which would act as intermediaries between customers and the central bank.
Participation would be voluntary; individuals would decide whether they want a digital wallet. Even if digital rubles are transferred to a customer, they could be moved back to a bank account and withdrawn as cash if desired.
According to regulators, the digital rubles would be produced in addition to existing cash and non cash options. The choice of how to use them would be up to the user.
The central bank also rejected rumors of a cash rejection program and dismissed claims that citizens would be forced to adopt the digital rubles, labeling such assertions as myths.
Earlier, Sergey Gavrilov, head of the State Duma committee on property relations, warned that misinformation about the digital ruble has spread on social networks and urged people to verify information with the regulator or pension authorities before attempting to reject such accruals.
Digital Ruble rejection
Recently, reports emerged that social networks were circulating messages urging people to reject the digital ruble and avoid connecting to it. Posts were found on Vkontakte and some offered instructions for rejection and sample requests to submit to the regulator or pension funds.
Some authors warned citizens that the transition to the digital ruble would be compulsory and could restrict spending. One post claimed the digital ruble had already begun to enter Sberbank and that customers had signed to digitize new receipts.
These messages use alarming phrases such as digital slavery or digital concentration camps and often link to pages spreading false information.
Nevertheless, there are active pages where people publish screenshots of letters addressed to the central bank or pension fund asking to reject the digital ruble.
One example shows a person claiming to have sent a letter to the Central Bank in Moscow to reject the digital ruble through local banking channels.
Access is still limited
Sergei Gavrilov has stated that the draft digital ruble is still being tested and that access to this currency remains restricted. The pension system emphasizes accessibility, offering options such as cash, a bank account, or other channels that reach retirees.
He warned that transferring pension salaries exclusively to digital rubles would limit choice and contradict the purpose of state payments. Such a move could reduce real access to funds and create social tensions as well as technological discrimination.
Even at the level of parliament and government, or within traditional banking transfers, no single path should be the only option for citizens.
At least one MFC has clarified that it does not offer a digital ruble rejection service. They noted that the digital ruble would not replace cash or basic cashless transactions.
Citizens can still choose which rubles to use: cash, non cash, or digital. There is no need to abandon the digital form, since account creation and operations depend on the owner’s choice.
A Sberbank representative told RBC that the digital ruble is not yet available to the public because the central bank plans to begin the rollout in the summer of 2025.