Russia's Finance Ministry has begun paying some employees in digital rubles, moving the central bank digital currency from budget trials into government payroll. Prior information dated the first payments to October 1, while a Coin Bureau report dated October 4 described them as occurring about a month after the nationwide rollout began. Participation remains voluntary, with employees required to open an account on the Bank of Russia platform, and neither the recipient count nor payment value has been disclosed. The program follows 2025 budget trials that processed nearly 16 million rubles in selected salary, stipend and government-contract payments. Major banks and large retailers began providing digital-ruble access on September 1 under a phased rollout scheduled through 2028. The digital ruble is a centralized liability of the Bank of Russia, rather than a self-custodied crypto asset, and gives the state a direct channel for domestic digital payments amid sanctions pressure.