Russia Busts Truck-Based Crypto Mine Draining Village Power

Russian authorities in the Republic of Buryatia have uncovered a mobile cryptocurrency mining operation using village electricity, marking yet another crackdown on illegal mining across the country.

During a routine inspection of power lines in the Pribaikalsky District, officials found a KamAZ truck wired into a 10-kilovolt electric line—enough power to supply an entire village. Inside the truck were 95 mining rigs and a mobile transformer station, confirming a full-fledged crypto mining setup.

Two individuals linked to the operation reportedly fled in an SUV before police could arrive on the scene.

This incident is the sixth electricity theft tied to crypto mining in Buryatia this year, according to Rosseti Siberia’s Buryatenergo unit. Officials warn that unauthorized crypto operations like these are damaging local grids by causing voltage instability, overloads, and blackouts.

Regional Mining Restrictions Tighten

Buryatia enforces a seasonal ban on crypto mining from November 15 to March 15 due to increased energy demand. Outside this period, only registered entities in regions like Severo-Baikalsky and Muisky are legally allowed to mine.

The crackdown aligns with broader federal restrictions. In December 2024, Russia imposed a nationwide mining ban during peak electricity months in several energy-stressed regions, including:

• Dagestan

• Chechnya

• Occupied zones in eastern Ukraine

A full mining ban has also been in place in the Irkutsk region since April 2025.

Major mining firms like BitRiver, which launched Russia’s first large-scale mining data center in Bratsk in 2019, have historically relied on Irkutsk’s cheap hydroelectric power.

The truck hosting illegal crypto mining site. Source: Babr Mash

Cyber Threat: Hackers Hijack Russian Devices to Mine Crypto

In a related concern, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has linked the hacker group “Librarian Ghouls” (also known as “Rare Werewolf”) to a cryptojacking campaign targeting Russian users.

These hackers used phishing emails with disguised documents to infect computers with malware that:

• Disables Windows Defender

• Schedules mining activity between 1 AM and 5 AM

• Establishes remote access to steal login credentials

• Analyzes hardware to optimize mining operations

The stealth operation allowed the group to profit from unauthorized mining without immediate detection, demonstrating the evolving threats in crypto-related cybercrime.

Read more: Lf Labs (LF Coin) Price Predictions

Conclusion

From hidden mining trucks draining village power to sophisticated hacker groups hijacking devices, Russia is grappling with the rising complexity of illegal crypto mining. As regulations tighten and energy strains increase, enforcement is likely to become even more aggressive—while innovative projects must work within these frameworks or face shutdown.

Meanwhile, the ongoing energy crisis is forcing both governments and miners to rethink sustainable practices in the ever-expanding world of blockchain infrastructure.