Legalize it
Just in the last two weeks, as tensions between the two Slavic nations escalated to what seems like a crescendo, both Russia and Ukraine have drafted surprising legislation to legalize bitcoin.
Both countries have previously been on the fence about cryptoassets, and a larger-than-normal portion of their population has already using digital currencies in their daily lives.
According to reports, Ukrainian citizens already process more crypto transactions than they do using the local hryvnia. If you haven't at least met one Russian bot that was trying to get access to your wallet, do you really crypto?
For those of us who understand the power of blockchain assets, it makes perfect sense that during these uncertain times, two countries on the verge of a war with global implications would want to strengthen international ties by embracing the native currencies of the internet.
Canada, which is a different story, has gone the other way entirely. By now, everyone must have seen the infamous footage of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announcing that Canadian financial institutions have been authorized to refuse services to accounts if they are suspected of contributing to the blockade.
Their abuse of power by invoking an overarching state of emergency will be documented in the history books. Even today, after all the lorries have been cleared, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted that the state of emergency is not over.
Analyst Jason Deane has correctly pointed out how much easier it would've been for the Canadian government to abuse its power if it had a central bank digital currency, which is why we all need to think long and hard before supporting any initiatives involving CBDCs anywhere around the world. | 
