Utility workers investigating a mysterious spike in electricity usage stumbled upon an unexpected source: a truck rigged as a mobile crypto mine. Behind its rear doors, they found 95 Bitcoin mining rigs hooked up to a mobile transformer and illegally drawing power from a 10-kilovolt line—enough to power an entire village. Two suspects fled the scene in an SUV just before police arrived.
According to Buryatenergo, the regional grid operator, this marks the sixth case of illegal crypto mining it has uncovered in 2025. Officials warn that such unauthorized setups are straining rural energy networks, causing brownouts and raising the risk of full blackouts.
The region has strict seasonal rules in place—crypto mining is banned from 15 November to 15 March, and only licensed operators are permitted in select districts during the rest of the year.
This incident is part of a broader national crackdown. Moscow recently banned mining during high-demand seasons in Dagestan, Chechnya, and occupied parts of eastern Ukraine. In April, Irkutsk—once a hotspot for crypto farms due to its cheap hydroelectric power—was hit with a year-round ban, despite being home to BitRiver’s flagship facility.
Illegal crypto activity isn't confined to physical rigs. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has linked the hacker group “Librarian Ghouls” to a cryptojacking campaign. The group allegedly infected hundreds of Russian PCs through malicious email attachments, disabled antivirus software, and secretly mined cryptocurrencies during early morning hours—while also stealing user passwords for future exploits.
Together, the truck bust and the stealthy malware operation illustrate an escalating game of cat and mouse between Russian regulators and a crypto underground eager to exploit cheap or stolen electricity for silent profits.