CoinFox went to test the first Russian bitcoin-to-ruble exchange office newly opened in the centre of Moscow.

We successfully completed the guerrilla mission, proving that the system works. So far, you can only sell bitcoins there, no purchase option available.

The exchange office is hidden in an unremarkable cubbyhole near the New Arbat Book Centre. It has no signboards, no pointers, and a random person would hardly notice this place. Although there is no official ban on bitcoin in Russia, yet the operator was reluctant to show his face on camera.

“I am not afraid to work openly, as long as there are no legal prohibitions. If they ban [bitcoin], we will close. We comply with current legislation,” writes the owner of the office in a forum post.

So far, the office does not seem to be widely popular among the bitcoin community, journalists apparently being its most frequent visitors. On their way there, Coinfox team met a TV crew from one of the federal channels. However, there is already a positive feedback on the LocalBitcoins forum from Russian cryptocurrency owners.

So, if one gets lost in Moscow with no other money than bitcoin in their mobile wallet, there is a place to get cash even in the middle of the night; only the nighttime fee is 10%, while at daytime it is 4%.

Nadezhda Krasnushkina, Lyudmila Brus