Russian Police Arrest Rosseti Employees For Aiding Illegal Crypto Mining In Moscow Region
Seven workers of PAO Rosseti Moscow Region, a major subsidiary of Rosseti, the national grid operator, have been on suspicion of assisting with unlawful operations. This is a large step up in Russia’s efforts to stop illicit cryptocurrency mining.
The arrests show how much more strain the country’s electricity system is under due to illegal mining, which has cost energy companies significant money.
Employees Accused of Giving Secret assist
The people who were arrested, who worked as electricians and lead engineers, are said to have supplied paid services to owners of fields.
Reports say these services included changing electricity meter readings to make it appear less power was being used and assisting in activities to avoid both planned and unplanned inspections by regulators. The personnel were paid in cash, allowing the illegal actions to continue unnoticed.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs found that this assistance enabled two illicit mining data centers to operate successfully since 2024 on private property in the city of Chekhov. These facilities didn’t have to answer to regulatory authorities, which caused an estimated initial harm of about 10 million rubles to the electrical grid.
The instance shows how fragile energy firms are, where employees working together can make the difficultys caused by even worse.
Rosseti has been complaining about the financial damage caused by illicit mining, which has cost them millions of rubles in losses due to high and unaccounted-for electricity use. This new development fits with those allegations. Authorities have stepped up efforts to stop these businesses because they view them as a direct threat to the stability of the national grid.
Broader Crackdown on Illegal Mining Farms
The arrests of Rosseti come right later than previous law enforcement measures in Russia. The Federal Security Service (FSB) and police took down an illegal mining farm in the Transbaikalia region just a few days before. The Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association (PIMCHO), named for E.P. Slavsky, lost over 5 million rubles because of this operation.
Investigators said the Transbaikalia farm used a network of BTC mining machines directly connected to the PIMCU power grid. People used electricity without adequate metering and lied about how much they used, causing significant property damage through fraud and breach of trust.
Authorities seized the mining equipment during a search of the premises. They initiated criminal prosecution under Article 165, Part 2, Clause “b” of the Russian Criminal Code, which provides for causing large-scale property damage.
Russian officials are getting ready to take tougher steps to stop these operations in the future. A draft protocol from the government’s electric power commission says that will be banned year-round in southern Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory begining in 2026.
The goal of this program is to curb illicit activity in high-risk locations, but it’s unclear how well it will work in the long run, since people are still drawn to making money with crypto.
These events show how strict rules on cryptocurrencies are at odds with the clandestine economy they create. As enforcement grows, energy companies like Rosseti continue to push for tougher protections against such abuses. They stress the importance of being alert to protect vital infrastructure.
