The lawmaker was deemed unfit to stand trial and was exempted from punishment related to the mining operation., 2026/04/21 18:52:23

Entrepreneur and deputy from the city of Bor in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Dmitry Kargin, who was elected to the local parliament in 2020 representing the “Party of Growth,” faced trial concerning an illegal mining farm. However, he was exempted from criminal liability due to a certificate of insanity.

According to the investigation, Kargin unlawfully connected his farm to the power grid, causing damages of 30 million rubles to the energy supply company. He faced a potential sentence of up to five years in prison under the article concerning property damage (part two of article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). 

Kargin did not deny the existence of the mining farm in discussions with law enforcement but stated to local media that he connected the devices for cryptocurrency mining at the direction of another deputy, whose name he did not disclose. 

“The farm was set up. We connected where we were told to connect. There was nothing unusual,” said the former deputy to the publication “Nizhny Novgorod Online.”

During the court proceedings, Kargin’s mental incompetence was established, leading to his sentencing to compulsory treatment in an outpatient setting. The accused did not appear for the announcement of the verdict. 

Recently, in the Demsky district of Bashkortostan, energy workers discovered an illegal mining farm set up in a garden house. To reduce electricity costs, the farm’s owner reprogrammed the meter, causing it to underreport actual consumption by approximately 96%. As a result, the energy company calculated damages exceeding 1.8 million rubles.

Previously, the FSB of Russia in the Sverdlovsk region, in collaboration with the energy workers of the “Rosseti Ural” branch, found an illegal mining farm with over 850 devices in an abandoned industrial facility near the city of Asbest.