Russia has cracked down on nine unregistered cryptocurrency exchanges in Moscow and detained about 20 staff, Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 7. The Federal Security Service raided the Moscow International Business Center over suspected money laundering linked to Ukraine-based scam call centers. Authorities believe the exchanges converted money taken in phone scams into cryptocurrency and sent it abroad, transferring funds to accounts the FSB identified as run by Ukrainian operators.

Japan is stepping up efforts to build a domestic drone production system to reduce reliance on a China-centred supply chain. The strategy includes shifting private drone firms toward defence work and expanding government budgets to strengthen unmanned systems competitiveness. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has approved a plan to build capacity to produce about 80,000 drones a year by 2030, though funding details remain unclear. Companies such as Eams Robotics and Terra Drone are highlighted as defence-focused examples.