Russian law enforcement agents have revealed Butyrka, Russia’s oldest prison, as a crypto mining farm. Butyrka prison, which dates from the 17th century, is one of Russia’s oldest prisons and was allegedly constructed around 1771.
The crypto mining hardware has been captured from the premises of a psychiatric clinic run by the prison. The Russian Federation’s Investigative Committee is presently investigating one of the deputy wardens for suspected power abuse. One of the prison representatives, along with the deputy warden, is under scrutiny for helping set up the crypto mining farm.
According to the investigation, the mining farm was constructed in November 2021 by a higher official with the help of coworkers. The farm was expected to be operational until February 2022. The devices utilized roughly 8,400 kW of electricity during operation, which the government paid for with over 62,000 rubles ($1,000).
“Actions that clearly go beyond his powers, thereby significantly violating the legally protected interests of the society or the state.” This is the Deputy Warden’s accusation
Crypto miners have been drawn to Russia because of its generous subsidies and few incidents of electricity theft. Regions such as Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast, which have long had low electricity tariffs for the general public and government agencies, have become hotbeds of illegal activity.
Illegal miners have been blamed mostly for the frequent power outages and blackouts. The events were more noticeable in residential areas, where higher power load usage caused such unstable power conditions.
To prevent such instances, Russia’s anti-monopoly agency has imposed higher electricity charges for crypto miners. The Russian Deputy Energy Minister had previously stated that Bitcoin mining should be legalized. Bitcoin mining should be permitted “as soon as possible,” according to Minister Evgeny Grabchak.