Russian police said they confiscated more than 2,700 cryptocurrency mining devices from a St. Petersburg facility that began operating in 2018, and Russian media outlet RBC also reported that the facility’s operators used their expertise in power grids to manipulate energy meter data.
2,700 digital currency mining devices confiscated
Irina Volk, a spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry, explained that “more than seven years ago,” three unidentified St. Petersburg residents “signed a contract to connect a commercial property to the electricity grid.”
Earlier this year, energy network investigators noticed suspicions about the facility’s electricity consumption, and investigations revealed a discrepancy between meter readings and actual energy consumption. Then the Interior Ministry and police joined the investigation, which culminated in a raid on the facility, and Faulk posted a video clip documenting the operation on the ministry’s Telegram channel.
The video shows officers forcing a man to lie down inside a building, then other officers open a closed shipping container using a crowbar and discover the container contains thousands of devices working on mining digital currencies. Officers also said they found several such containers at the scene. Fans and other cooling equipment were also found to be operating inside the containers. Officers then opened the door to another building and found hundreds of these devices inside.
Agents confiscate transformers and refrigeration equipment
Following up on this news, Volk said ministry officials believe the suspects used advanced electrical expertise to tamper with electricity meters, resulting in low readings for the energy supplier, allowing them to pay a small amount for the energy they consumed.
For her part, the spokesperson confirmed that the digital currency mining facility “operated without hindrance between March 2018 and August 2025,” and agents said they confiscated all mining devices in addition to two converters and cooling equipment.
Police also ordered the detention of the three people and accused them of “causing material damage through deception or breach of trust.”
Illegal cryptocurrency mining and underground mining centers continue in Russia
On this subject, Volk said that the ministry continues its search for potential partners, while the ministry has not revealed the amount of electricity it believes the suspects stole from the network, nor its monetary value, nor the type of currency the three mined.
However, illegal cryptocurrency mining appears to be on the rise in Russia and areas under its control. In mid-September, Russian police discovered a small network of illegal mining centers in what Moscow calls the “Donetsk People’s Republic.”
The center’s operators connected 25 mining rigs directly to the grid, bypassing the meters, causing damage estimated at 14 million rubles ($170,633), officials said.
Illegal cryptocurrency mining is particularly common in traditional Bitcoin-BTC mining hotspots in Russia, such as the North Caucasus and southern Siberia. Last year, energy companies in Dagestan announced they had discovered underground mining centers that appeared to have been built to avoid detection by energy officials.
Some illegal miners have also started using mobile units installed in large trucks and cars to help them move quickly if energy companies discover their activity.
Russian police confiscated more than 2,700 digital currency mining devices in raid in St. Petersburg appeared first on Cryptonews Arabic.
