[Russia Begins Large-Scale Introduction of Digital Ruble into Budget and Banking Systems] According to Cryptopolitan citing Russian news agency TASS, Russia has started the large-scale introduction of the digital ruble into its budget system and banking industry in preparation for its full rollout this September. Since the beginning of this year, the digital ruble has been actively used in transactions related to the country's government, and it can now be used for transferring funds to the government budget and making payments to federal agencies. Russia has set a phased timeline and deadlines for banks and businesses to adopt the digital ruble, stipulating that by September 1, 2026, Russia's largest banks and their institutional retail clients must allow customers to conduct transactions using the digital ruble. Additionally, the Russian Central Bank has decided that starting last week, when citizens and companies use their digital ruble accounts to pay taxes, fees, and government-related payments, these transactions will be exempt from service fees.