Russia's government bans crypto mining in Moscow, Moscow Oblast, and parts of Kursk Oblast from Aug. 15 through end-2032 over grid strain and power shortage concerns.
Bitcoin Mining News
Russia's government signed a decree on July 25 banning Bitcoin (BTC) mining and participation in mining pools across Moscow, all of Moscow Oblast, eight municipal districts of Kursk Oblast, and the city of Lgov. The decree, Government Decree No. 936, was published on Russia's official legal information portal on Aug. 1 and takes effect Aug. 15. It runs through the end of 2032.
The ban formalizes a proposal the country's Energy Ministry put forward in late June. That proposal included an explanatory note warning that mining activity in the affected regions risked producing electricity shortages if left unrestricted year-round. Moscow Oblast energy minister Sergei Voropanov had previously estimated that crypto mining accounts for roughly one gigawatt (GW) of power consumption on the city's grid, per Interfax.
Grid Capacity Concerns Drive the Ban
Voropanov also projected that the combined data center capacity of Moscow and Moscow Oblast could reach 3.6 GW by 2032. That would equal approximately 17% of the grid's projected maximum load. The 3.6 GW figure covers all data center usage, not only crypto mining. Russia began applying targeted regional mining restrictions in late 2024. Those initial bans covered energy-constrained areas, including parts of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Some of those restrictions remain in effect through 2031, while others activate only during high-demand periods.
The Moscow-region decree is separate from Russia's national approach to regulating the mining industry. President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in 2024 allowing companies and entrepreneurs on a government registry to mine crypto commercially. Unregistered individuals may mine only within defined electricity consumption limits. In July 2025, Russian authorities launched a national registry for mining equipment to track operators, monitor power usage, and strengthen tax enforcement.
Related Article: Russia Sets Capital Rules for Crypto Depositories Before September Rollout
The decree was published days after a Russian court moved BitRiver founder Igor Runets from house arrest into pre-trial detention. Prosecutors allege that Runets and his firm participated in an equipment deal with energy conglomerate En+ that caused approximately 1 billion rubles, or about $12.5 million, in damages. The charges are fraud on an especially large scale committed by an organized group. Russia's State Duma separately passed legislation last month that, if signed into law, would allow regulated retail crypto trading while retaining the country's existing ban on using crypto for domestic payments.
Mining Bans Alongside a Broader Regulatory Push
The Moscow decree reflects a pattern of Russia applying localized restrictions while building a national framework in parallel. Regional bans are used to protect grid stability in specific high-demand areas. The national framework is designed to bring commercial mining activity under formal oversight. Both tracks have advanced simultaneously over the past two years, with the Moscow ban representing the most significant regional restriction applied to date in terms of geographic and economic scale.
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