Russia targets crypto mining energy thieves, tax dodgers

Russia’s energy ministry has launched a national registry of crypto mining rigs to weed out miners that dodge tax payments and illegal setups that steal power from the grid

State-run newspaper RIA Novosti said in a report on Friday that the Russian Ministry of Energy, the Federal Tax Service and the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia have “compiled a register” and sent it to “regions with increased miner activity.”

In June, Russian Finance Ministry official Ivan Chebeskov said that despite introducing crypto mining laws, only 30% of miners had entered the Federal Tax Service Register since late 2024. He also said the ministry was working on measures to bring the remaining 70% into the legal fold.

Russia hopes to tax and regulate crypto mining

Deputy Energy Minister Petr Konyushenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti, translated to English by Google, that this is a step toward “legalizing the industry and reducing illegal consumption.”

“The creation of such a register will allow for the precise identification of consumers using electricity for mining needs. This is necessary for applying special regulation and taxation to them.”

Russia’s Energy Ministry first flagged plans to create a national registry of crypto mining rigs and other related hardware in February to help enforce bans on mining in regions where it is prohibited, according to RIA Novosti.

Some Russian regions ban crypto mining

The Russian government began enforcing a crypto mining-related bill in November, introducing legal definitions and registration requirements for mining businesses.

The government also banned crypto mining, both mining pool activity and individual crypto mining, in 10 Russian regions for six years, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Dec. 24. The ban is in effect until March 15, 2031, in the hopes of preventing blackouts.

Meanwhile, on June 9, Forbes Russia reported that Russia’s digital development ministry was working on a new bill to increase the fines for illegal crypto mining operations to 2 million Russian rubles ($25,500), up from the current 200,000 rubles ($2,534).

Related: Russia’s central bank, finance ministry to launch crypto exchange

Illegal crypto miners shut down

Russian authorities have already cracked down on several illegal crypto-mining operations since the start of the year.

On June 19, an official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that local police had discovered a mining farm in a garage complex in the city of Bataysk.

Russian authorities found a truck hosting an illegal crypto-mining site siphoning electricity from a village. Source: Babr MashMeanwhile, on June 14, Russian authorities shut down a crypto mining operation hidden inside a truck siphoning electricity from a village in the Pribaikalsky region.

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