14.06.2025 19:57

Authorities in Buryatia, a region of Russia, recently uncovered a sophisticated, mobile cryptocurrency mining operation cleverly concealed within a KamAZ truck. The operation, discovered during a routine inspection by energy workers, was illegally drawing significant power from a high-voltage line supplying a nearby village.

Hidden within the truck, investigators found 95 mining rigs and a makeshift transformer substation, a setup powerful enough to drain the electricity of an entire village. This brazen theft highlights a growing problem of illicit cryptocurrency mining in the region, with this incident marking the sixth such case reported by Buryatenergo, the local power company, this year alone.

The perpetrators, who managed to clandestinely connect the truck to the power grid, escaped the scene in an SUV before police arrived. Despite an ongoing investigation, the suspects remain at large. This incident underscores the increasingly serious issue of energy theft fueled by the demand for cryptocurrency mining.

Buryatia's vulnerability to this type of crime stems from existing energy shortages, which have necessitated seasonal restrictions on cryptocurrency mining activities. From November 15th to March 15th, only registered companies in specific districts (Severo-Baikalsky and Muisky) are permitted to mine, a regulation designed to protect the region's strained power grid from illegal operations like this truck-based mining scheme. The severe energy limitations highlight the significant strain placed upon the power system by illegal mining activities during peak energy consumption months. This latest discovery reinforces the urgency to address the growing problem of illegal cryptocurrency mining within the region.