Bitget adds Russia and Belarus to its banned countries list, with trading and staking exits flagged for October 18

Bitget has added Russia and Belarus to the banned countries list in the main English version of its Terms of Use, while the Russian-language version has not yet been updated. For high-risk operators, the important bit is not the headline itself but the operating mechanics: the exchange says it can suspend activity, restrict account access, and block crypto withdrawals without prior notice.

1. Under section 8.2 of the rules, Bitget reserves the right to suspend operations, restrict access to accounts, and prohibit crypto withdrawals. The document says these measures can be applied without prior notice, including where a client has lost the right to use the platform’s services.
2. Russia and Belarus now appear only in the main English-language version of Bitget’s rules on the website. In the Russian-language “Terms of Use,” the country list has not changed yet.
3. Posts circulating on social networks and in chats show screenshots of emails and notices allegedly sent to Russian-speaking customers. A Bits.media journalist tried to open a new account from Saint Petersburg on both the English and Russian versions of the site, and both attempts returned the message: “Countries and regions are not supported.”
4. According to the screenshots, the sender advised clients to be ready for trading and staking services to stop from Sunday, October 18. All trading orders were recommended to be closed by October 21; otherwise open positions would be forcibly closed and the funds credited to the account balance. The notice also recommended withdrawing all funds by October 21, or else withdrawals would have to be handled through customer support.
5. Section 8.6 of the Terms of Use says that using the platform in a banned country can lead to access being blocked. Bitget also prohibits bypassing geographic restrictions via VPN. The banned-country list contains more than 20 countries and regions, including several EU countries, Canada, Japan, Iran, Kazakhstan, North Korea, and the United States.

No public announcement has yet been published about any changes to the rules for users from Russia and Belarus. In September, Bitget was hit by an attack by unknown actors who withdrew $387.5 million in assets. By the beginning of October, the exchange had restored crypto withdrawals and fiat currency operations, which were disabled immediately after the attack.