Catenaa, Friday, June 13, 2025- Russia Ministry of Digital Development has unveiled a sweeping proposal to fine and confiscate cryptocurrencies from illegal miners, as the government seeks tighter control over the growing sector.
According to Forbes Russia, the draft legislation is undergoing interdepartmental review and could give law enforcement and courts broad powers to penalize unauthorized mining operations.
Under the proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, fines for individuals could range from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles ($1,272 to $2,544), while corporations could face penalties as high as 2 million rubles ($25,456).
The rules target both solo operators and those participating in mining pools, with harsher fines for officials and entrepreneurs. Industrial-scale miners flouting regulations could also see their digital assets confiscated.
The draft law would also criminalize using cryptocurrency for payments outside the Central Bank’s regulatory sandbox. Individuals or companies making such transactions could face penalties up to 1 million rubles ($12,728).
The Central Bank’s legal chief, Andrey Medvedev, said seizure of illicitly used crypto would act as a stronger deterrent than fines.
No new regional mining bans were issued in conjunction with the proposal. However, the law would require mining infrastructure operators to report mined crypto volumes and wallet addresses to Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial watchdog.
The push marks Russia’s latest step in formalizing its digital asset policies amid ongoing domestic energy concerns and geopolitical scrutiny.
