Russia Pulls the Plug on Bitcoin Mining in Moscow Through 2032

Moscow crypto mining ban runs through 2032

Russia banned cryptocurrency mining across Moscow, the surrounding Moscow Region and parts of the Kursk Region on 15 August 2026. The restriction also bars participation in mining pools, where operators combine computing power to share rewards. It will stay in force until 31 December 2032. The measure took effect on Saturday, according to the state news agency Interfax. It extends a framework Russia introduced in December 2024 to limit mining where electricity supply is tight.

Government decree No. 936 sets the rules

The ban rests on government decree No. 936. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the decree on 25 July 2026, and authorities published it on the official legal portal in early August. That gave operators about two weeks before enforcement. In the Kursk Region, the rules cover eight municipal districts and the city of Lgov. The decree amends an earlier December 2024 order that set Russia's regional mining-restriction list. Officials framed the step as a way to preserve power grid stability rather than to curb the wider crypto sector.

Energy Ministry cites power-capacity risks

Russia's Energy Ministry said a year-round halt was needed to cut the risk of power-capacity shortages, as energy-hungry mining sites connect to regional grids. Mining consumes about 1 gigawatt (GW) in the Moscow power system, according to Moscow Region energy minister Sergei Voropanov. He projected that data-centre capacity in Moscow and the region would reach 3.6 GW by 2032, or about 17% of peak demand. The Moscow Region's Energy Ministry counted 65 data centres on the grid across Moscow and the region, with a combined 734 megawatts (MW) of capacity, according to TASS.

Russia ranks second in global Bitcoin mining

Russia accounted for about 175 exahashes per second, or 16.4% of Bitcoin's global computing power, in the first quarter of 2026, according to Luxor's Hashrate Index. That placed the country second behind the United States. It is unclear how much of that capacity sat inside the newly restricted regions. Russia legalised registered mining in 2024, then banned the activity in 10 other regions through March 2031, citing rising electricity demand. Year-round curbs already applied in southern Irkutsk and most of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai. Similar restrictions have run in several regions since 2025, including republics in the North Caucasus and parts of the Trans-Baikal Territory, each tied to local electricity constraints.

Bitcoin trades near $63,000 during the clampdown

Bitcoin (BTC) traded at about $63,016 at the time of publication, little changed over the past 24 hours but down 2.7% over the previous seven days (CoinPaprika, 16 August 2026). Its market value stood near $1.26 trillion, and the token remained about 50% below its October 2025 record high. The Moscow measure is a regional restriction, not a nationwide ban, and Russia continues to permit registered mining elsewhere.

Mining ties into Russia's sanctions workaround

Russia has tied domestic mining to its response to Western sanctions. Legislation passed by parliament in July 2026 kept the ban on domestic crypto payments but preserved exceptions for foreign-trade settlements and transactions using mined cryptocurrency. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in December 2024 that Russian firms had used domestically mined bitcoin in international payments after legal changes designed to counter Western restrictions. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned mining firm BitRiver and 10 subsidiaries in 2022, saying such companies helped Russia monetise its energy resources.

Primary source: Source ↗