The ban on cryptocurrency mining in Moscow, the Moscow region, and certain territories of the Kursk region will take effect on August 15, 2026: The Government of the Russian Federation has approved restrictions on the extraction of digital currencies, including participation in mining pools. The new decision continues the line of regional restrictions: similar measures in other regions began to be introduced starting in 2025.
The resolution is posted on the official portal of legal acts. The measures are designed for a long period: they will be in effect until December 31, 2032.
For miners in these territories, this means that from August 15, 2026, it will not be allowed to mine digital currencies or participate in mining pools. Mining is the extraction of digital currencies using energy-intensive computing power.
Why Authorities Are Restricting Mining
The key argument of the authorities is the load on the power system. The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation previously identified three risks.
- Increase in the load on the power system.
- Risk of capacity shortage.
- Connection of energy-intensive facilities operating for mining to the grid.
This is a sensitive issue for Russia: cryptocurrency requires significant computing resources and, therefore, stable access to electricity. In such conditions, the norm of energy consumption, available capacity, and network stability become not just technical details but factors of regional policy.
How the Issue Was Raised in the Moscow Region
The initiative to restrict mining in the Moscow region was previously put forward by the Ministry of Energy of the Moscow Region. The head of the department, Sergey Voropanov, at the “Energoprom-26” forum, estimated mining consumption in the Moscow power system at about 1 GW.
He also gave a forecast for data centers: by 2032, their capacity in Moscow and the Moscow region may reach 3.6 GW. This is about 17% of the region’s maximum power system load.
Where Similar Restrictions Are Already in Effect
Bans on the extraction of digital currencies are not being applied for the first time: since 2025, similar measures have been introduced in a number of regions and are planned to last until 2031.
They are in effect in the republics of the North Caucasian Federal District, in the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as in certain territories of the Trans-Baikal Territory and Buryatia. A separate regime is established in the Irkutsk region: there, the ban is partial.
Such decisions show that the subjects of the Russian Federation are increasingly considering mining through the lens of the energy balance. It is not only about the cost of electricity, but also about whether the Unified Energy System of Russia can withstand the growth of large consumers.
What Is Happening With Data Center Consumption
“System Operator” in May forecasted a sharp increase in data center electricity consumption in the country. According to the company’s estimates, over the next five years it may increase from the current 4.2 GW to 15.3 GW.
By the end of 2026, the share of data centers in the overall structure of electricity consumption in Russia is expected to be at the level of 2.4%.
The current resolution concerns precisely energy restrictions. It does not change the tax regime of the industry: issues of accounting, taxation, and interaction with the Federal Tax Service of Russia remain in a separate area. This is important both for companies and for market participants operating as individual entrepreneurs in Russia.
Legally, this is a government decision, not the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. In a broader context, the regulation of digital currencies in the country is developing at the federal level, including decisions associated with President Vladimir Putin, but the specific ban is tied to risks for power grids and available capacity.
