Apprehended for Illegal Mining Network: Russian Power Grid Workers Face Charges Over Electricity Fraud Scheme

Russian law enforcement has taken action against a significant network involved in illegal cryptocurrency mining operations. Seven employees from Rosseti Moscow Region, the major power utility company serving the Moscow area, have been apprehended on suspicion of facilitating unauthorized mining activities through deliberate infrastructure manipulation.

The scope of the scheme is notable for its systematic approach. The accused personnel—spanning from field-level technicians to senior engineering positions—allegedly provided paid technical assistance to underground mining operators. Their assistance encompassed sophisticated methods to circumvent detection, including tampering with electricity consumption meters to artificially reduce recorded usage and helping operators bypass both routine and surprise inspections conducted by the utility company.

The Infrastructure Breach and Economic Impact

Authorities emphasize the infrastructure dimension of these activities. By manipulating meter readings, the implicated individuals effectively enabled large-scale power theft while simultaneously creating blind spots in the utility company’s monitoring systems. The illicit operations represented a direct threat to grid stability and legitimate customer services in the region.

The preliminary investigation has quantified the economic damage stemming from these illegal mining connections at approximately 10 million rubles. However, investigators note this figure reflects only documented losses during the investigation period, suggesting the actual impact over the full operational timeline may be substantially higher.

This case underscores the ongoing challenge that utilities face globally regarding electricity theft linked to cryptocurrency mining—a phenomenon that extracts significant financial and infrastructure costs from regional power systems.