Russia's energy ministry has initiated a national registry for crypto mining rigs to identify tax-evading miners and illegal operations that siphon power from the grid. According to a report by state-run RIA Novosti, the Ministry of Energy, Federal Tax Service, and Ministry of Digital Development have created a register and distributed it to regions with high mining activity. Despite the introduction of crypto mining laws, only 30% of miners had registered with the Federal Tax Service by June 2024, as noted by Finance Ministry official Ivan Chebeskov. Deputy Energy Minister Petr Konyushenko emphasized that this registry aims to legalize the industry and curb illegal energy consumption. The government had previously announced plans for this registry in February to enforce mining bans in certain regions. Additionally, a new bill is being drafted to increase fines for illegal mining from 200,000 to 2 million rubles. Authorities have already shut down several illegal mining operations this year. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news