Russian law enforcement have recently discovered an illegal mobile cryptocurrency mining operation which had been siphoning power from a local village. Authorities found the installation in the Pribaikalsky District of the Republic of Buryatia, eastern Siberia. The odd turn of events is the sixth stolen electricity case tied to cryptocurrency mining in the area since early 2025.

The mobile data center was contained in a truck produced by Kamaz. Inside, it housed 95 mining rigs and a mobile transformer substation. It wasn’t until a recent report from Russian news outlet TASS that the full scale of the operation was made public.

"Inside the truck, 95 mining devices and a transformer substation were found, capable of providing power to a small settlement" - TASS

A seasonal mining ban is in effect in the Buryatia region. This temporary ban goes into effect from November 15 to March 15, as mining activities truly overload the power grid. State and local officials have long cautioned against crypto mining. Members note the tendency for it to introduce voltage drops, overloads, and an increased risk of blackouts.

Although there were no arrests made in this case, bystanders saw two possible assailants escape from the shooting in an SUV. This incident is hardly the first to reveal an underground, unmonitored wave of illegal cryptocurrency mining operations draining local power grids.

Similar incidents have occurred worldwide. Earlier this year, Swedish authorities closed down 18 data centers tied to illegal crypto mining. In 2021, five self-cooled, energy-sucking mining rigs were discovered clandestinely installed in a Massachusetts high school’s crawlspace. These rigs allegedly defrauded the state electric company out of $17,492 in just eight months by connecting to an unauthorized power source. Kuwait saw its electricity use cut in half after a recent government clamp down on the country’s crypto operations.

Russia is now taking the reins in order to adjust the energy needs of the fledgling cryptocurrency mining industry. They’ve permanently stopped all mining operations in certain areas during periods of high grid stress. Taken together, these measures indicate a growing recognition that the rapid expansion of cryptocurrency mining is creating deep, systemic threats to our power infrastructure.