Crypto News Daily Squeeze

Bitcoin is stuck... and tension's building

Written by Gode S.,

Web3 Market Analyst

Last Updated: February 18, 2026

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Plus: Russia may block foreign crypto exchanges

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GM. Today's crypto scoop promises a tangy blend worth savoring.

Let's get to the good stuff:

🍍 Crypto market jitters;

🚨 Russia might ban foreign crypto exchanges.

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🍍 Market flavor today

Find out more about the Fear & Greed Index here.

Name		Price	24H	7D
Crypto Market Cap: $2.29T -0.69% (24H)
	Bitcoin BTC	$67,044.54	-0.56%	1.30%
	Ethereum ETH	$1,968.55	-0.38%	2.84%
	XRP XRP	$1.46	-1.09%	8.13%
	BNB BNB	$615.52	-0.32%	3.59%

Prices as of 12:00 PM EST. Click here to see live data.

Crypto still feels like that moment when you're staring at the ceiling at 3AM. Just kind of. Awake. Doing nothing.

Bitcoin spent the last day pacing between $66.7K and $68.2K, basically flat on the day.

In most markets that's called "calm."

In crypto, tho'? That's tension. Because this isn't random chop - it's BTC pressing its face against the $70K ceiling and failing to break through. Again.

Bitcoin price chart from BitDegree, 02-18

Source: BitDegree

And every time we get rejected up here, it stings a little more.

Earlier in the week, bulls leaned in thinking we'd finally reclaim $70K and squeeze higher.

... But instead, price stalled, momentum faded, and then the slow bleed started.

Nothing super dramatic - just enough to trap late longs. Over the past 24 hours, more than $196M in positions got liquidated, most of them bullish bets that assumed breakout.

We're in this position now mostly because of the absence of positive catalysts:

👉 ETF inflows have slowed compared to last week;

👉 Broader markets have been shaky;

👉 And bearish commentary has been getting louder.

When price is strong, bad news gets ignored. When price stalls, it sticks.

BTC ETF flows table, 02-18

Source: Farside Investors

At the same time:

👉 Volatility is compressing;

👉 Bitcoin's trading range is tightening;

👉 Funding rates have cooled;

👉 Leverage has come down;

👉 And traders are reducing exposure rather than adding to it.

That compression matters.

When Bitcoin sits just below a major level like $70K for multiple days, pressure builds.

👉 A clean break above that level could shift the narrative back to bullish continuation.

👉 But if BTC loses the $66K - $67K support zone, the next meaningful area sits closer to $64K - $65K - where downside could accelerate.

Right now, though, neither side has control.

The market tried to break higher. It failed. Leverage got flushed. Sentiment cooled. Now we're in the pause.

Crypto's waiting for direction. And the longer it waits here, the bigger that next move is likely to be.

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🥝 Memecoin harvest

If you missed these pumps, blame it on your risk management 🧨

Data as of 09:33 AM EST.

Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.

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🚨 Domestic exchanges only zone

Imagine your country suddenly said:

"You can still shop online... but only at stores we've approved. Amazon? Nope. eBay? Not unless they open a local branch and follow our rules."

You could still buy stuff. But the internet would feel a lot less... global.

And that's basically what's unfolding in crypto right now.

Cat using computer

Reports surfaced that Russia is preparing to block access to foreign crypto exchanges as early as this summer.

Translation: if you live in Russia, you might soon lose access to major international crypto platforms like Binance, Bybit, or OKX - unless those companies register locally and operate under Russian rules.

This is because of new domestic crypto regulations that are close to being finalized. The government wants crypto trading to happen on platforms it can officially supervise - not on offshore exchanges operating outside its legal reach.

How would they enforce this?

Likely the same way countries restrict certain websites: internet-level blocking. If a platform doesn't comply, Russian users might simply find that the site won't load anymore.

Now, on the surface, this looks like a local policy story.

But it's really about something much bigger:

Who controls digital money?

Crypto was born with the idea that it's global and borderless. Anyone, anywhere, can access it with a phone and internet connection. That's part of the appeal.

But governments don't love "borderless" when it comes to money. Money connects to taxes, capital flows, sanctions, fraud prevention, and national security. So over time, countries have been figuring out how to bring crypto inside their regulatory fences.

Russia's potential move is one version of that strategy.

Instead of banning crypto outright (which can push activity underground), they're trying to localize it:

👉 If you want to serve Russian users,

👉 You operate under Russian oversight,

👉 Or you don't operate there at all.

This gives the government visibility into transactions, control over compliance, and leverage over companies operating in their jurisdiction.

From a user's perspective, though? It changes the vibe.

Global exchanges compete internationally. They innovate quickly. They offer deep liquidity and a wide range of products.

Limiting access to them could mean fewer options, potentially higher costs, or reduced flexibility for traders inside the country.

At the same time, it could also create space for domestic crypto companies to grow.

So this isn't purely "anti-crypto." It’s more like: crypto, but on national terms.

And Russia isn't alone in this direction. Around the world, governments are trying to fit crypto inside traditional regulatory systems.

Overall, if crypto started as the open internet bazaar where anyone could trade anything, anywhere - moves like this are countries building custom gates around their section of the market.

The store is still open. But you might have to use the local entrance.

And the bigger takeaway: crypto's becoming too important for governments to ignore.