Moscow court sentences former deputy head of “Butyrka” for illegal mining activities., 2026/04/07 12:24:46

A Moscow court has sentenced former deputy head of the Butyrka detention center, Andrey Tsyganov, to nearly three years of compulsory labor for his involvement in the establishment of a mining farm within the psychiatric unit of the facility, as reported by RIA Novosti.

According to court documents, the mining operation was uncovered by the staff of the Federal Penitentiary Service’s (FSIN) internal security department in a technical room on the fifth floor of the Butyrka psychiatric department. The equipment was powered by the institution’s electricity.

The court determined that the organization of the mining farm was carried out by Andrey Tsyganov and senior engineer of the engineering and technical support group, Maxim Kolchkov. Following an investigation, Tsyganov’s contract was terminated, and criminal proceedings were initiated against both individuals under the article concerning abuse of official authority.

During the trial, the prosecution advocated for actual prison sentences; however, both the first-instance court and the appeal at the Moscow City Court rejected this form of punishment.

Consequently, Tsyganov was sentenced to two years and ten months of compulsory labor, while Kolchkov received one year and eleven months. Ten percent of their earnings will be deducted for the state. Additionally, the court mandated the defendants to jointly compensate for the material damages, the amount of which is not disclosed in the case materials.

Previously, the Uspensky District Court imposed a fine of 250,000 rubles on a resident of the Krasnodar region for the illegal use of electricity for cryptocurrency mining.