Share this article
Russian Police Arrest Two for Illegal Crypto Mining
Russian police have reportedly apprehended two suspects in connection with an illegal crypto mining farm.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:49 a.m. Published Apr 12, 2018, 3:35 p.m.
Russian police arrested two people for running an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation on Thursday.
Ministry of Internal Affairs spokeswoman Irina Volk said police detained two individuals in connection with a cryptocurrency mining farm discovered in an abandoned rubber factory. Authorities found more than 6,000 pieces of mining equipment at the site in the city of Orenburg, according to a Russian media report.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The police are charging two former factory employees with property damage, among other criminal offenses, according to the report.
According to Russian media reports, rumors of the mining farm emerged in early March, but police declined to confirm its existence. However, Volk indicated earlier today that the farm stole 8 million kW/h worth of electricity at an estimated cost of 60 million rubles (about $1 million).
This is not the first time the Russian authorities have shut down illicit crypto mining operations. In February, police arrested several scientists working at a nuclear weapons research institute for using the facility's supercomputers for mining.
Clandestine mining operations have also cropped up in other locations, with employees from an Australian weather reporting agency, New York's Department of Education and Louisiana's attorney general's office all allegedly misappropriating resources to mine cryptocurrencies.
Note: This article has been updated to amend a conversion rate
Russian police image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Bitcoin gets 'base case' price target of $143,000 at Citigroup
The Wall Street bank said its bitcoin forecast relies on further crypto ETF inflows and a continued rally in traditional equity markets.
What to know:
- Citigroup's base case for bitcoin (BTC) is a rise to $143,000 in 12 months.
- Analysts highlight $70,000 as key support, with the potential for a sharp rise due to revived ETF demand and positive market forecasts.
- The bear case sees bitcoin falling to $78,500 amid a global recession, while the bull case predicts a rise to $189,000 due to increased investor demand.
Top Stories
