Russian police crack down on illegal cryptocurrency mining farms, seize more than 6,000 devices

Russian police have filed charges against two organizers of a cryptocurrency mining farm in Orenburg, according to Irina Volk, an official at the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation.

Police found more than 6,000 computer devices in an abandoned factory in RTI and identified it as a cryptocurrency mining farm. Police have already arranged an insider at the scene. This Bitcoin mining farm consumes extremely high electricity, consuming 8 million kilowatts per hour.

Police found equipment connected to the power grid and power supply cables to a nearby substation.

Volk said the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs found suspects in the Orenburg region. Among them were two company executives who worked at the factory. The criminal case was based on property damage.

One mining farm was reported in early March but ignored by police at the time. Engineers suspected large-scale electricity theft at the mine and alerted law enforcement, who then discovered high-powered computer equipment that could be used for cryptocurrency mining.

Police have yet to assess the size and profitability of the mine, or the losses caused by the theft of electricity.

In March this year, it was reported that Orenburg had the largest cryptocurrency mining farm in the Volga Federal Region. According to unofficial sources, some unidentified people stole electricity to mine cryptocurrencies and made tens of millions of rubles in profit.