Bitcoin plunged more 7% in 24 hours as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, and threatened dire consequences for any outside interference, the New York Times reported. GregAhl reports.
"Anyone who tries to interfere with us, or even more so, to create threats for our country and our people, must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history,'' Putin said. “We are ready for any turn of events.”The US and its allies are expected to hit Russia with a broad sanction package in the coming hours.
However, Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has backed down from language calling a potential disconnection a"serious threat" in response to a non-binding resolution passed by the European Parliament in April that called on Russia's expulsion from SWIFT should an invasion take place.with the development of a central bank digital currency as an apparent contingency should it lose access to SWIFT.