Russia has been taking several steps regarding virtual currencies, crypto mining activities and regulations around Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Now, the first boutique for purchasing cryptocurrency mining hardware has opened its doors in Saint Petersburg. This will potentiate Russia as a crypto mining country and would allow new users to purchase mining hardware.
Crypto Mining Boutique in Saint Petersburg
The Russian company CryptoUniverse, has decided to launch the first boutique to buy crypto mining hardware in Saint Petersburg. As a member of the Russia Association of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain (RACIB), the shop will start selling ASIC mining hardware for Bitcoin (BTC) and Litecoin (LTC). 
The store is located in a shopping center known as “Piterland” in the central area of Saint Petersburg. Moreover, the shop has been designed for people without experience in mining or virtual currencies. At the moment, it offers customers the possibility to decide what to buy, and pre-order in case a product is not in stock.
At the same time, Crypto Universe is able to host the ASIC miners that are bought by users. This would help individuals with little experience in crypto mining activities to easily set their rigs up. Users have to pay between $60 and $80 dollars if they want to leave their miners at Crypto Universe’s datacentre.
Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Community in Russia
Russia has a very important cryptocurrency community with developers, enthusiasts and a government that have embraced blockchain technology. At UseTheBitcoin we have several times how the country was getting involved in the crypto market.
The government has announced that it wants to develop a virtual currency known as CryptoRuble. It would help the government to avoid international sanctions in case western countries decide to sanction the country.
Additionally, the Moscow government has decided to implement a blockchain solution for its voting platform known as Active Citizen. Working with Ethereum, the intention is to allow citizens of the city to vote in projects that would improve Moscow and its surroundings.
Finally, Russia has launched the first blockchain school that will focus on the technical aspects of the Ethereum network. The school is located in Moscow and it started its lessons at the beginning of March.
