Russian law enforcement agencies discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation at an orphanage in Siberia

ChainCatcher news, the Prosecutor's Office of the Bokhan District in Irkutsk region has discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation in a three-story orphanage in the village of Kazachye, where law enforcement officials seized 96 mining devices. The building was originally an educational institution but has been closed. A non-profit organization operated the mining site without permission, violating electricity and fire safety regulations, failing to maintain the equipment, and not installing a fire alarm system.

The court ruled to dismantle all mining equipment and to stop the illegal use of the land, and the prosecutor's office has filed an administrative lawsuit against the head of the organization. Irkutsk region attracts a large number of miners due to low electricity prices and a cold climate, and although the government plans to completely ban mining by 2031, illegal mining sites continue to emerge in various buildings, becoming a key target for crackdown.