Digital Ruble and Digital Currency: A Discourse on the Relationship of Concepts

Introduction: in the Russian legal system, there are several objects, in defining the concept of which the legislator uses the adjective “digital.” All of them are endowed with both identical features, mainly due to the disembodied form of existence within the digital environment, and the qualitative differences caused by the peculiarities of their legal regime, as well as the functions performed in circulation. We are talking about the digital ruble as a new form of non-cash money and digital currency, which is not named in the list of objects of civil rights but, in practice, is considered in circulation as other property (which indicates the uncertainty of the legal regime). A detailed analysis of the regulatory framework allows considering both phenomena as having fundamental differences due to their belonging to different classification groups of objects of civil rights. These aspects are the basis for the author’s definition of the purpose of the study, which involves identifying the nature of the relationship between digital currencies and other objects of civil law that have a digital format of expression. Methods: the research is based on the method of comparative analysis, in particular, the method of comparison. Results: the conclusions are based on a logical analysis of the regulatory framework regarding the participation of digital currencies in circulation, Russian and foreign scientific research, and law enforcement practice. Scope of the results: the results obtained can be used to develop proposals for amendments to the legislation aimed at clarifying the legal regime of the digital ruble and cryptocurrency. Conclusions: based on the analysis carried out, the conclusions on the essence and nature of the dependency of the objects studied are formulated. The place of the digital currency and the digital ruble in the system of units of account is determined. The terminological inaccuracies are identified, and the ways to eliminate them are proposed.