A concealed mining farm has been found in a Siberian forest near a railway., 2026/03/24 14:28:31

In the Irkutsk region, near the railway segment Usolie-Sibirskoye — Malta, Russian law enforcement dismantled a mining farm. This area has a complete ban on cryptocurrency mining.

The discovery was first reported to the authorities by random witnesses who spotted wooden boxes containing mining equipment hidden among branches and covered with snow. Upon arrival, police found four cryptocurrency mining rigs connected to an electrical cable sourced from a power substation, along with a Wi-Fi router, modems, and power supplies.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, “Theft.” Officers from the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department “Usolsky” are now searching for individuals involved in the setup of the equipment.

Since April 7, 2025, a ban on mining has been in effect across 29 municipalities in southern Irkutsk region. According to the Russian government, these restrictions are set to end on March 15, 2031. The limitations affect the Angarsk urban district, the cities of Irkutsk, Zima, Sayansk, Svirsk, Tulun, Usolie-Sibirskoye, Cheremkhovo, and 21 districts (Alarsky, Balagansky, Bayandayevsky, Bokhansky, Zhigalovsky, Zalariinsky, Ziminsky, Irkutsky, Kachugsky, Kuitunsky, Nizhneudinsky, Nukutsky, Olkhonsky, Osinsky, Slyudyansky, Tulunsky, Usolsky, Ust-Udinsky, Cheremkhovsky, Shelekhovsky, and Ekhirit-Bulagatsky).

Previously, in a forest area near the village of Maksimovshchina in the Irkutsk district, police and energy officials dismantled another cryptocurrency mining farm during a raid.