Russia has officially launched a national registry system for mining equipment to curb unregistered cryptocurrency mining. Developed jointly by the Energy, Digital Development, and Federal Tax agencies, the system targets regions with intense mining activities. By accurately measuring the electricity consumption of facilities, the system provides a foundation for both taxation and regulation. According to state agency RIA Novosti, the aim is to completely eliminate unregistered cryptocurrency mining.
Energizing Precision with Equipment Registry System
Introduced as a proposal by the Ministry of Energy in February, this registry system seeks to eradicate illegal mining facilities straining the electricity grid. The database compiles all details, from model numbers to nominal watt values of each device, allowing distribution companies to monitor energy consumption in real time. The tax authority uses these data to match against miners’ online income declarations, preventing the misuse of lower tariffs.
Initially, the system was deployed in high hash rate regions like Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Yakutia. Officials indicate that the system will expand nationwide within the year, rendering unregistered cryptocurrency mining technically impossible.
Energy planners view the registry system as strategic. With the total hash power of PoW-based crypto networks like Bitcoin 
$76,395, states can now manage their grid balancing objectives more effectively.
Intensified Regional Bans and Penalties
Just before the registry system’s implementation, the government suspended crypto mining in power-constrained regions for six years. This ban, effective in six regions until March 15, 2031, was introduced to prevent mining-induced power outages. Concurrently, the Federal Tax Service launched a portal for miners to declare earnings online, as part of President Vladimir Putin’s tax framework starting in 2025.
The Ministry of Digital Development has also drafted legislation that grants courts the authority to confiscate mining devices and unregistered cryptocurrencies. For repeated offenses, companies face fines up to 2 million rubles (approximately $22,000). Thus, Russia aims to exercise tighter state control over substantial hash power in networks like Bitcoin’s PoW.
