Russian miner established covert crypto farms at an industrial site and in three private residences., 2026/04/10 13:56:22

In the Shelekhov district of the Irkutsk region, law enforcement officials apprehended a 36-year-old deputy director of a local real estate firm. The individual was reported to have set up mining farms within a production facility and three private residences, according to the authorities.

According to the investigation, from June to December 2025, the deputy director installed 100 cryptocurrency mining devices in production areas located on the Builders and Assemblers avenues in the city of Shelekhov.

These farms consumed approximately 4 million kWh of electricity without registering on meters, resulting in an estimated loss of around 29.2 million rubles in revenue for the energy supply company, as stated by the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Simultaneously, the individual set up another 100 devices in three private homes in the settlements of Chistye Klyuchi and Baklashy in the Shelekhov district, investigators reported. The electricity was billed at a subsidized rate for residential consumers rather than a commercial rate. The energy companies assessed their losses in this case at 11.5 million rubles.

During the searches, law enforcement seized mining equipment, as well as three vehicles, SIM cards, routers, and unspecified other assets. The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case under the article concerning large-scale fraud (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Previously, in Voronezh, the chief security engineer of one of the energy supply companies established illegal mining farms in three rented apartments and a storage facility.