A deputy from Krasnoyarsk faces a lawsuit for 13 million rubles over a mining farm disguised as an apiary.
The Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnoyarsk Territory has filed a civil lawsuit for more than 13 million rubles against the organizers of an illegal mining farm. The scheme was sophisticated: under the guise of an apiary, the perpetrators connected to the transformer substations of the energy company.
The claims have been brought against the company "Medoed" and two defendants in the criminal case. The case has been assigned to the Kirovsky District Court of Krasnoyarsk. It concerns the recovery of damages caused by the illegal consumption of electricity for cryptocurrency mining.
Scheme Details and Defendants
According to the investigation, in 2024–2025, the perpetrators registered the LLC "Medoed" and, under the guise of an apiary, illegally connected to the power grids. The prosecutor's office classified this activity as illegal because the organizers were not included in the register of persons engaged in digital currency mining. Without such registration, cryptocurrency mining in Russia is considered illegal.
The key defendants in the case are Alexey Boykov, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (LDPR faction), and Kirill Dolgopolov, the general director of "Medoed." Boykov has been placed on the international wanted list. According to the investigation, he left Russia back in September of last year, citing a hypertensive crisis and the need for treatment abroad. His supporters claim that after recovery, he intends to personally participate in procedural actions. Dolgopolov has already been arrested and charged. In April, a second case was opened against both of them—concerning the legalization of money obtained through criminal means.
Trend of Disguise and Tightening
This case is not an isolated one. Illegal miners are increasingly disguising their farms in the most unexpected places. Last week, near Irkutsk, police discovered a farm of 12 devices in the forest, camouflaged with netting and connected directly to a power line pole. The damage to the energy system exceeded 2.5 million rubles. And in the Tyumen region, a resident mistook a crypto farm for a beehive: individuals are allowed to mine without registering as a sole proprietor only if consumption is up to 6000 kWh per month, and anything above that limit requires registration.
The main reason for this disguise is cheap electricity. Miners choose dacha and forest plots to pay at household rates, even though their activity is commercial and should be charged at higher rates. It is precisely because of this that authorities are tightening bans: in Moscow and the Moscow region, mining is planned to be banned until 2032.
Expert opinion: This story is a vivid example of how an attempt to save on electricity results in multi-million ruble lawsuits and criminal cases. The market is clearly moving towards total legalization and control, and those who try to play by the old rules risk everything. For investors, this is a signal: investments in "gray" mining are now not just a high risk, but practically guaranteed losses from fines and equipment confiscation.