Dagestan under attack: 52 illegal mining farms eliminated, 968 devices seized
A large-scale operation to clean up the shadow cryptocurrency mining sector in Dagestan has yielded impressive results. Since the beginning of 2026, specialists from the branch of "Rosseti North Caucasus" together with law enforcement agencies have identified and neutralized 52 underground mining farms. During the raids, 968 units of equipment for digital asset mining were seized, and five criminal cases were opened for electricity theft.
Damage exceeded 129 million rubles
The scale of the problem is striking: illegal farms account for about 2.7 million kWh of stolen energy resources. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg — the total volume of unaccounted consumption in the region since January has reached 20.1 million kWh, causing damage to the power grid complex of more than 129 million rubles. Notably, the share of mining in the total volume of thefts exceeds 13%, indicating the systemic nature of the problem.
In one of the identified cases, the court has already issued a verdict, while the remaining cases are under investigation. Energy workers emphasize that electricity theft not only causes financial losses but also poses a real threat to life: voltage fluctuations disable household appliances, provoke technological disruptions, and fires.
Miners move to forests and apiaries
Dagestan remains one of the most problematic regions in terms of the number of underground mining sites. In June, energy workers eliminated a farm of 90 devices with a total capacity of about 315 kW in the village of Maydanskoye — the equipment was disguised under a false floor and connected to the networks without a contract. Similar schemes operate across the country: in the Irkutsk region, police discovered 12 devices in a forest area, camouflaged with netting and connected directly to a power line pole, causing damage of 2.5 million rubles.
Of particular note is a case in the Tyumen region, where a resident mistook a crypto farm on her dacha plot for an apiary due to the characteristic appearance of the enclosures. The regional police department is conducting an inspection into this matter. The logic of the violators is simple: electricity costs determine the profitability of mining, so underground operators seek connection points away from metering.
My conclusion: Current dynamics show that the fight against illegal mining in Russia is entering a new phase — energy workers and police are acting increasingly coordinated, and violators' methods are becoming more sophisticated. However, as long as tariffs for the population remain significantly lower than commercial ones, the incentive for theft will persist. Regions with cheap electricity need to tighten control and implement remote monitoring systems, otherwise damage figures will only grow.