Is crypto mining legal in Russia?

Crypto mining in Russia is legal, but only inside a framework of registration, reporting and regional limits. A 2024 law brought mining out of a legal grey zone, and since then the state has used it both to tax miners and to keep them away from strained power grids. As of November 2026, a bill to make illegal mining a crime is moving through parliament. For trading and payment rules, see is crypto legal in Russia.

Is bitcoin mining legal in Russia?

Yes. President Vladimir Putin signed the mining law on August 8, 2024, and mining was legal from November 1, 2024, Interfax reported. Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs who mine, plus operators of mining infrastructure such as hosting sites, must be on a register. Miners must report the coins they obtain and the addresses where they were credited.

Ordinary citizens get a lighter route. According to Interfax, individuals can mine without registering as long as they use no more than 6,000 kWh of electricity a month. Above that, they must register as individual entrepreneurs. Mined coins are taxed either way, as explained in how crypto is taxed in Russia.

How does the Russia mining law registry work?

Interfax reported in November 2024 that the Federal Tax Service keeps the register of miners. Firms can be removed for false information, repeated money laundering breaches, breaking power rules in banned areas or bankruptcy.

Many miners have stayed outside it. The explanatory note to a 2026 bill estimated about 50,000 people and companies may mine in Russia, while only 1,489 were registered, Meduza reported. On May 27, 2026 the State Duma passed that bill on first reading. It would add Article 171.6 to the Criminal Code, with fines of up to 1.5 million rubles for unregistered mining that brings significant income or causes harm, and up to five years in prison for organised or very large cases. As of November 2026 it was not yet final law.

Where is there a regional mining ban in Russia?

The law lets the government ban mining in regions at risk of power shortages. Bans in force since 2025 cover the North Caucasus republics, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, parts of Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Territory, and parts of the Irkutsk region until 2031, Interfax reported.

Resolution No. 936, signed on July 25, 2026, added Moscow, the Moscow region and border areas of the Kursk region from August 15, 2026 until December 31, 2032, Cointelegraph reported. The ban also covers taking part in a mining pool. In October 2026 the government further ruled that mining equipment may connect to the grid only under the fourth reliability category, PRIME reported, which is meant to stop mining from causing regional power deficits. For how large mining sites operate, see how bitcoin mining farms work, and for other countries, is crypto mining legal.

Rules differ by country and change often. Check the tax authority or a qualified professional for your own situation.