Russia Proposes Registry to Track Bitcoin Mining Hardware
Russia’s deputy energy minister, Yevgeny Grabchak, has proposed the creation of a centralized registry for Bitcoin and crypto mining equipment to enhance regulation and enforcement efforts. This move comes as part of the Russian Ministry of Energy’s plans to update the regulatory framework for mining, focusing on identifying and controling mining activities, especially in prohibited regions.
“We need to create a centralised registry of essential mining equipment… to better detect mining operations and enforce bans in resticted areas,” said Grabchak
The proposed registry would enable authorities to track and monitor Bitcoin mining activities more effectively
It aims to improve enforcement of mining bans, particularly in restricted regions.
Concerns Over '“Gray” Mining
Despite official measures, officials remain concerned about “gray” mining, or illicit, unregistered operations.
Nikolai Shulginov, Chairman of the State Duma on Energy, highlighted the ongoing challenge of detecting illegal miners.
“Illegal miners are difficult to detact and enforce penalities against, allowing underground operations to persist”
A ban on Bitcoin mining is now in effect in specific Russian and Russian-occupied Ukranian regions.
The ban is set to last from January 1st 2025, to to March 15th 2031
