Russia to Tighten Punishment for Illegal Mining

The Government believes that punishment for illegal connection to power grids should be stricter, and expects more detailed regulations from the Ministry of Energy.

The Russian government plans to toughen penalties for violating the ban on cryptocurrency mining. This was reported by the Interfax publication, citing the results of a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, at which the Ministry of Energy received instructions to revise the regulations on miners.

New fines and controls

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Digital Development drafted a bill according to which illegal miners face fines of up to 2 million rubles with confiscation of mined cryptocurrency. Now the authorities want to tighten penalties and expand the list of punishable acts. It will include:

• illegal connection to power grids;
• electricity theft;
• Violation of the mining ban.

It is also proposed to introduce mandatory labeling and certification of cryptocurrency mining equipment imported into Russia.

The Ministry of Energy has been instructed to establish the fourth category of energy supply reliability for miners – a special regime for energy-intensive consumers. It is assumed that they can be remotely disconnected from the power supply at any time during peak loads and the threat of energy shortages.

The revised regulations are expected to be presented before the end of the current quarter, after which they will be gradually implemented in regions with current restrictions on mining.

Results of current restrictions

Since this year, Russia has banned cryptocurrency mining in a number of regions where energy shortages exist or are predicted. The new measures are aimed at strengthening control over compliance with these restrictions and creating economic incentives for switching to legal work schemes.

According to the Ministry of Energy, the introduction of restrictions on cryptocurrency mining in Siberia reduced consumption by 320 MW, in the regions of the North Caucasus – by 50 MW. The released capacity was used to maintain stability during the heating season, which made it possible to avoid overloading the power grids.

However, the ban led to financial losses for energy companies. The Irkutsk Electric Grid Company lost about 800 million rubles in January-March 2025. The Chairman of the Irkutsk Region Government called mining “a drug for the economy” and “digital MMM.”

Источник: cryptocurrency.tech