On October 16, 2026, crypto exchange Bitget updated its user agreement, adding Russia and Belarus to the list of "restricted countries" whose residents are blocked from accessing the platform's services. This was reported by the Kod.ru resource, citing notifications sent to users. The decision means that Russian and Belarusian traders are losing the ability to use the exchange's services in full, and the transition to the new conditions is taking place not instantly, but in stages over several days.
Phased Shutdown: Timeline of Restrictions
According to the notification, on October 18 at 10:00 MSK, Bitget will stop accepting orders for the purchase and sale of cryptocurrency from users in the specified countries. Simultaneously, the ability to open new positions and participate in staking — passive earnings through holding crypto coins — will be disabled. Users have until 10:00 MSK on October 21 to independently close open positions and withdraw assets; after this, the exchange will forcefully close positions. Restrictions on access to the accounts themselves will come into effect on October 21 at 19:00 MSK. Those who fail to withdraw funds within the established deadlines will have to contact Bitget support.
Wider Than Just Russia and Belarus
It is worth noting that the list of "restricted countries" in the updated agreement is not limited to these two states. It also includes, in particular, Kazakhstan, Austria, Germany, the USA, Japan, and a number of other jurisdictions. This indicates that the blocking of Russians and Belarusians is part of a broader policy to comply with local regulatory requirements rather than an isolated decision.
Context: A Hack Worth Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
The decision to restrict access was made against the backdrop of a recent security incident. Last month, crypto exchange Bitget, headquartered in Singapore and registered in the Seychelles, suffered a hacker attack resulting in a large amount of cryptocurrency being stolen from hot wallet accounts. According to various publications, the amount of losses is estimated differently — from approximately $351.6 million to around $388 million. The investigation is ongoing, and at the time of the agreement update, it had not been definitively established which hacker group is behind the attack.
What This Means for Users
For existing traders from Russia and Belarus, adhering to the timeline is crucial: before 10:00 MSK on October 21, it is necessary to independently close positions and withdraw assets to avoid forced closure and subsequent appeals to support. After 19:00 MSK on the same day, access to accounts will be restricted. Users are advised to check the state of their portfolio in advance and ensure that withdrawal channels are working correctly before the deadline.
