Dagestan under attack: 52 illegal mining farms eliminated, damage to power grids exceeds 129 million rubles
The scale of shadow mining in Dagestan continues to be staggering. Since the beginning of 2026, specialists from the energy company "Rosseti North Caucasus" have managed to detect and neutralize 52 illegal farms for digital asset mining. During the operational measures, 968 pieces of equipment involved in illegal cryptocurrency production were seized.
This is not just about administrative violations, but a systemic problem of energy theft. In my estimation, the volume of stolen electricity specifically linked to mining has reached approximately 2.7 million kWh. This is a colossal figure that directly undermines the stability of the entire regional energy system. Five criminal cases have already been opened based on these facts, and one of them, apparently, has already reached a court verdict.
Damage to grids exceeds 129 million rubles
The figures I see in the reports are telling. The total damage inflicted on Dagestan's power grid complex has exceeded 129 million rubles. Meanwhile, specialists from the "Dagenergo" branch have recorded 952 cases of unmetered electricity consumption since the start of the year. The total volume of this theft amounted to more than 20.1 million kWh, with mining accounting for over 13% of it. This indicates that illegal cryptocurrency miners are among the key players in the "gray" energy consumption market.
It is important to understand what this threatens for ordinary residents. Electricity theft leads to voltage fluctuations in the grid, breakdowns of household appliances, technological disruptions, and, most frighteningly, fires and the risk of serious electrical injuries. Energy workers never tire of reminding: unauthorized connection to the grid is not just an administrative fine (up to 15 thousand rubles for individuals and up to 200 thousand for legal entities), but real criminal liability, providing for up to two years of imprisonment.
Miners move into forests and apiaries
Dagestan remains one of the most problematic regions when it comes to underground mining. Illegal operators are becoming increasingly inventive. In June, energy workers dismantled a farm of 90 devices with a total capacity of about 315 kW in the village of Maydanskoye, where the equipment was hidden under a false floor and connected to the grid without a contract. Similar schemes are operating across the country. In the Irkutsk region, in the village of Stolbova, police discovered 12 pieces of equipment camouflaged with netting and connected directly to a power line pole. The damage there exceeded 2.5 million rubles.
The ingenuity of violators knows no bounds. A resident of the Tyumen region discovered a crypto farm on her dacha plot, which she initially mistook for beehives due to the characteristic appearance of the enclosures. A check is currently being conducted by the regional police department regarding this incident. The logic is the same for everyone: electricity costs determine the profitability of mining, so underground operators look for connection points as far away from metering as possible. Legal sites lose to them in terms of cost.
Energy workers, together with the police, continue raids, and the number of detected facilities over less than eight months shows that the scale of the problem in the republic persists.
My comment: This situation is a clear indicator that the regulation of mining in Russia is still in its formative stages. As long as legal players are forced to pay market tariffs while illegal operators save on everything, including safety, we will continue to see such reports. The solution lies not only in criminal prosecution but also in creating economically attractive conditions for legal mining; otherwise, the "gray" sector will only grow.