The authorities of the Republic of Buryatia of Russia discovered an illegal cryptocurrency mine operation hidden inside a Kamaz truck siphoning electricity intended for a neighboring village.
Discovered during an inspection of routine electric line in the Pribaikalsky district, the unauthorized configuration drew electricity from a line of 10 kilovolts, enough to provide a small village, according to the Russian news agency, TASS.
Inside the truck, the inspectors found 95 mining platforms and a mobile transformer station. Two people who are linked to the operation fled the premises in a SUV before the police arrive.
This marks the sixth case of electricity flight linked to the extraction of crypto in Buryatia since the beginning of the year, said the Buryatenergo unit of Rosseti Siberia. The authorities have warned that illegal connections disrupt local networks, causing drops of tension, overloads and potential breakdowns.
In relation: Crypto Exec led a “secret pipeline for dirty money,” said the doj
Russia prohibits the extraction of crypto in certain regions
Mining is prohibited in most of Buryatia from November 15 to March 15 due to regional energy shortages. Apart from this window, only companies recorded in designated districts such as Severo-Baikalsky and Muisky are allowed to exploit.
The repression comes in the midst of broader federal restrictions. In December 2024, Russia announced the ban on mining during the months of advanced energy in several regions, including damage, Chechnya and certain parts of eastern Ukraine under Russian control.
A complete ban has already been applied in the Southern Irkutsk region since April.
Large companies in the Russian mining industry and Bitriver depend on cheap electricity in Irkutsk. According to local sources, the Irkutsk region hosts the first and the largest data center in Bitriver, which was launched in 2019 in Bratsk.
In relation: The largest Russian Bank Sber offers bitcoin bonds
The pirate group targets the Russians to exploit crypto
Kaspersky linked the pirate group known as “librarian ghouls” or “rare werewolf” to a cryptojacking campaign that compromised hundreds of Russian devices. The group used phishing emails posing as legitimate documents to spread malware and take control of systems for the exploitation of unauthorized cryptography.
Once infected, the malware deactivates Windows Defender and plans the compromise devices to operate between 1 h and 5 h, a tactic designed to avoid detection.
During this window, hackers establish remote access, fly the connection identification information and assess the system specifications to effectively configure their minors.
Review: China threatened by American stablecoins, G7 asked to tackle the Lazare group: Asia Express
