Russia Enforces Complete Ban on Cryptocurrency Mining in Southern Irkutsk Region

On April 7th, the Russian government signed a decree imposing a complete ban on cryptocurrency mining in the southern part of the Irkutsk region. This ban will remain in effect until March 15, 2031.

The region’s governor, Igor Kobzev, clarified on his Telegram channel that the restrictions apply to 21 districts, the city of Irkutsk, the Angarsk urban district, and six other regional cities.

He emphasized the necessity of stringent measures due to the “excessive load on the regional energy system.”

“The significant increase in electricity consumption leads to overloaded power grids and frequent power outages. Moreover, there is insufficient capacity for the technical connection of new facilities to the electrical networks,” the official stressed.

Kobzev reported that the temporary mining ban in the southern part of the region, in effect from January to March 2025, allowed for the temporary release of 320 MW of capacity, equivalent to 146 billion rubles in costs for constructing new generating facilities.

As reported earlier, Russian authorities imposed a ban on cryptocurrency mining and participation in pools in certain regions from January 1, 2025, to March 15, 2031. For some of these regions, the restrictions apply only during the autumn-winter period.

On March 21, the Russian government permitted all affected regions to engage in mining, provided they use their own electricity generation and have regulatory approval.