Employees of the Russian companies Rosseti Center and BryanskElectro found an illegally connected crypto mining farm at the power grid in the settlement of Dubrovka in Bryansk Oblast. The farm was located in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the populated area and was connected to the grid bypassing electricity meters. According to power industry specialists, the volume of illegal electricity consumption exceeded 226,000 kWh, and the damage amounted to more than 2.6 million rubles.

The facility was discovered due to excessively high electricity losses in the local grid. During the inspection, the power engineers found 42 cryptocurrency mining devices. The case materials were handed over to law enforcement authorities. Criminal proceedings were initiated against the organizers of the farm under Part 1 of Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Causing property damage through deception or abuse of trust”), which provides for punishment of up to five years’ imprisonment. In addition to potential criminal penalties, the owners of the farm will have to compensate the power industry for the damage.

Earlier, in Sverdlovsk Oblast, FSB officers, together with employees of the Rosseti Ural branch, discovered a mining farm with 850 units in an abandoned industrial premises near the city of Asbest.