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Authorities Seize Over 1,500 Crypto Mining Rigs in Dagestan Crackdown

15/05/2022 by Idelto Editor

Authorities Seize Over 1,500 Crypto Mining Rigs in Dagestan Crackdown

Law enforcement and other authorities in Dagestan have closed down two illegal crypto farms, confiscating more than 1,500 mining machines. Government agencies in the republic, considered one of Russia’s capitals of underground coin minting, carry out regular raids against such facilities.

Cryptocurrency Miners in Dagestan Accused of ‘Illegal Entrepreneurship’

Officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan and the Federal Security Service have uncovered a large crypto mining farm in the Russian republic’s capital city, Makhachkala, Tass news agency reported, quoting the ministry. The law enforcement agents have seized 1,476 devices producing digital currencies, a press release detailed.

The department added that the owners of the illegal facility have been also providing services to other miners including installing mining rigs, connecting them to the power grid and providing security. Experts are now working to establish the market value of the confiscated mining equipment as well as the amount of consumed electricity.

The law enforcement officials who raided the crypto farm further noted they are collecting evidence to charge the operators under Part 2 of Art. 171 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, “Illegal entrepreneurship,” and part 2 of Art. 165, “Causing property damage by deception or abuse of trust.”

In the past few years, Dagestan has become a hotspot for illegal and home crypto mining, along with Russian regions such as Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast that have maintained low electricity rates. As a result, they have suffered blackouts due to breakdowns, especially in residential areas where the electrical networks are not designed to handle the excessive loads.

In another case, the local power grid operator and distributor, Rosseti Severniy Kavkaz, recently found 95 rigs minting cryptocurrency at a facility of the republic’s water supply utility, Мahachkala Vodokanal. The hardware was installed in a metal container at the Vuzovskoe Ozero pumping station.

The crypto farm had a power capacity of 260 kW and its illegal electricity consumption exceeded 4.5 million kWh, worth more than 26 million rubles (over $400,000). According to an announcement by Rosseti, the farm was set up by a resident of the Dagestan capital who worked in collusion with employees of the water utility.

Authorities in Moscow have been taking steps to regulate crypto mining as a business activity for which Russia has certain advantages like its cheap energy sources and favorable climatic conditions. Lawmakers at the State Duma are currently reviewing a new bill tailored to achieve that. Meanwhile, in an effort to curb mining with household electricity, the Russian anti-monopoly agency has suggested introducing higher electricity rates for those mining at their homes.

Do you expect authorities in Russia’s Dagestan to continue to crack down on cryptocurrency miners? Tell us in the comments section below.

Filed Under: confiscation, consumption, crypto, crypto farm, crypto miners, crypto mining, Cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency, Dagestan, Electricity, English, equipment, Hardware, illegal, Law Enforcement, Miners, Mining, Mining Farm, mining rigs, News Bitcoin, Police, power, Raid, Russia, russian

Independent Russian News Site Meduza Raises Over $200,000 in Crypto

11/05/2022 by Idelto Editor

Independent Russian News Site Meduza Raises Over $200,000 in Crypto

Pressure from the Kremlin and sanctions from the West have forced Russian news outlet Meduza to increasingly rely on cryptocurrency donations to fund its independent journalism. As the restrictions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine have prevented its Russian readers from contributing in fiat currency, the Riga-based website now accepts several digital coins.

Meduza Pulls Journalists out of Russia, Seeks Crypto Support

The war in Ukraine has affected Russian-language news site Meduza in more than one way, a report by Bloomberg reveals. Soon after the Kremlin launched its “special military operation,” President Vladimir Putin’s administration clamped down on independent reporting on the conflict and the media outlet has sought help to resettle its 25 journalists in Latvia.

The small Baltic nation of around 2 million, which has a large Russian speaking minority, has become a hub for exiled Russian media. Western sanctions, however, do not allow Meduza’s 30,000 Russian readers who supported it before the conflict to send funds through Stripe, after the payment processor suspended services in the Russian Federation to comply with the penalties.

The war and the sanctions have forced Meduza to turn to its international audience and ask for financial help in U.S. dollars, euros, or cryptocurrency. It now accepts card payments, bank wires, Paypal transfers, and multiple coins including bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), the stablecoin tether (USDT), and the privacy-oriented monero (XMR). The report notes that the provided BTC and ETH wallets have already accumulated about $230,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

Commenting on the situation, the news portal’s editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov pointed out that Meduza is currently raising only around half of what it needs to develop. While declining to reveal the total amount of donations, he noted that the website is soliciting crypto and relying entirely on money from foreigners for the first time and stated:

We couldn’t predict that the sanctions of Western governments will come first and destroy our crowdfunding.

Independent Russian media outlets have faced unprecedented pressure from authorities in Moscow and as a result some have shut down, while others have been blocked by the Russian state. The Novaya Gazeta newspaper suspended publication in March after receiving warnings about its coverage, and the Ekho Moskvy radio station had its FM frequency handed over to the state-run Sputnik.

Meduza, which was founded in the Latvian capital after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, during another media crackdown, was labeled last year a “foreign agent” by the Russian government. The designation, which targets Russian media receiving funding from abroad, had already hurt its advertising revenue before the new sanctions effectively ended Russian donations.

Do you expect other independent Russian publications to turn to cryptocurrency donations to fund their reporting? Tell us in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Bitcoin, crypto, Cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency, Dollar, donations, donors, English, ether, Euro, Fiat, Journalism, Latvia, Media, Meduza, News, News Bitcoin, news outlet, portal, reporting, Riga, Russia, russian, Sanctions, Ukraine, War, website

Majority of Russia’s Financial Pyramids in Q1 Linked to Crypto, Scammers Exploit Sanctions Topic

08/05/2022 by Idelto Editor

Majority of Russia’s Financial Pyramids in Q1 Linked to Crypto, Scammers Exploit Sanctions Topic

Many of the financial pyramids identified in Russia during the first quarter of the year have been associated with cryptocurrencies, a top central bank official has revealed. Fraudsters are actively exploiting the hot topics of the day, including the sanctions theme.

Pyramids Offer Russian Investors Ways to Circumvent Western Sanctions

Amid growing financial uncertainty, Ponzi schemes advertising opportunities to invest in digital assets are mushrooming in Russia. Of all financial pyramids detected by regulators in the first three months of 2022, well over half have used cryptocurrency as a lure.

“Schemes based on transfers using cryptocurrencies or investments in ‘digital instruments’ have received another impetus,” Valery Lyakh, director of Bank of Russia’s Department for Combating Unfair Practices told Tass news agency. More than 58% of the pyramids identified by Russian financial authorities in the first quarter of this year were linked to cryptocurrencies, Lyakh detailed.

As usual, the scammers take advantage of the trending topics in the news, the high-ranking representative of Russia’s monetary authority added. “Against the backdrop of financial uncertainties, calls to ‘save money’ in foreign jurisdictions, invest in a foreign project, in foreign securities are popular,” Lyakh elaborated.

Investment proposals like these have been made in the past but now fraudsters also exploit the sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Valery Lyakh pointed out. They are talking about projects in countries that are not supporting the measures against Moscow and offers to circumvent restrictions on international payments have become the new trick to convince victims to send their money, he added.

The possibility of Russia employing cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions has raised concerns in the West but a recent report by Moody’s suggests that Moscow’s ability to avoid the penalties using digital assets is limited by the relatively small size of the crypto market and its low liquidity. The rating agency acknowledged, however, that small crypto transactions made by Russians have increased.

Crypto investment was the main theme of the notorious Finiko Ponzi scheme, Russia’s largest in recent years, which collapsed last summer after receiving over $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin between December 2019 and August 2021, according to Chainalysis. Russian law enforcement recently arrested six more members of Finiko involved in defrauding thousands of victims in Russia, other former-Soviet countries and around the world.

Do you expect scams offering Russians to evade sanctions with cryptocurrencies to increase further? Tell us in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Bank of Russia, Central Bank, crypto, Cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency, English, financial pyramids, Finiko, Fraud, fraudsters, investment schemes, News, News Bitcoin, Ponzi Schemes, pyramid schemes, pyramids, restrictions, Russia, russian, Sanctions, Scams

Bankoff Crypto Cards Suspended Amid High Volume of Russian Transactions

05/05/2022 by Idelto Editor

Bankoff Crypto Cards Suspended Amid High Volume of Russian Transactions

Bankoff, a platform offering virtual cards that could be topped up with cryptocurrency, has told customers its cards are no longer supported by payment systems Visa and Stripe. They allowed Russians to pay abroad after major processors restricted their services in the country.

Visa and Stripe Halt Support for Bankoff Cards

Payment processors Visa and Stripe have halted services for cards issued by Bankoff, the online banking platform informed clients on Tuesday, May 3. In a notice, a copy of which was posted on social media, the company explained that the suspension was due to the increased number of active users and transactions from Russia.

“It means our cards are no longer supported for any offline and online payments,” the Bankoff team elaborated. The neobank also revealed that its funds in a U.S. account had been frozen, assuring customers it’s currently working to restore access to the money.

Bankoff Crypto Cards Suspended Amid High Volume of Russian Transactions

Representatives of Bankoff have confirmed the development to Forklog. The crypto news outlet added in a report that some users who deposited cryptocurrency to their accounts have complained they were been unable to withdraw their balances as well.

The news of the terminated services comes after in early March, Visa and Mastercard halted operations in Russia as part of sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russian-issued cards supported by the world’s leading payment processors cannot be used for purchases outside Russia.

Following the restrictions, Russian residents began ordering Bankoff’s virtual cards which allowed them to make payments abroad. The cards could be topped up with the stablecoin tether (USDT) and added to major electronic wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Alipay.

Russia has been facing mounting western sanctions that have limited access to global finances for its government and citizens. Abiding by the restrictive measures, major global payment and remittance providers such as Western Union, Paypal, Wise, Remitly, Transfergo, Zepz, Wirex, and Revolut have already suspended services in the Russian Federation.

Do you know of other crypto payment card services that have been halted for Russian users? Tell us in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Bankoff, cards, crypto, Crypto Cards, Cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency, English, Finance, invasion, Neobank, News Bitcoin, online banking, payment services, Payments, restrictions, Russia, russian, Sanctions, Stripe, suspension, Tether, Ukraine, USDT, VISA, War

Bill Regulating Crypto Mining Submitted to Russian Parliament

30/04/2022 by Idelto Editor

Bill Regulating Crypto Mining Submitted to Russian Parliament

A draft law tailored to regulate cryptocurrency mining has been filed with the lower house of Russian parliament, the State Duma. The legislation provides a legal definition for the extraction of digital currencies and envisages the establishment of a register for miners.

Russian Lawmakers to Review Legislation Enforcing Rules for Crypto Mining Sector

The draft of the new federal law “On Mining in Russian Federation” has been submitted to the Duma on Friday, April 29, according to the website of the house. The bill aims to bring the crypto-related industry out of the “grey” economy in Russia, a country rich in energy resources and favorable climatic conditions for mining.

The authors of the bill describe the minting of digital coins as an activity using information infrastructure and equipment located in the Russian Federation, which results in the creation of digital currency. They also introduce legal definitions for the circulation of digital currencies, mining pools and operators mining facilities.

The law provides for the creation of a special register for cryptocurrency miners that will be maintained by an authorized federal body. Private individuals involved in bitcoin mining will be able to register as individual entrepreneurs or self-employed persons if their electricity consumption exceeds certain limits set by the government.

Only registered entities and persons will be allowed to mine, RBC Crypto reported, quoting the document. The operators of mining facilities in Russia will be required to keep records of the minted cryptocurrencies, their types, any contracts with other entities and buyers of the coins, exchange operators, payment systems, and banks.

If deputies in the Duma adopt the law, a one-year “amnesty” will be announced for registered miners, within which they will be able to sort out any outstanding issues with customs clearance for imported hardware, pay relevant taxes and comply with applicable regulations. That includes the recently adopted rules for money transfers outside the Russian Federation.

Russian authorities have been working to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. A bill “On Digital Currency” has been prepared by the Finance Ministry to fill the legal gaps remaining after the enforcement of the law “On Digital Financial Assets” last year. The department recently revised the draft to clarify certain aspects pertaining to crypto mining. The Russian parliament is expected to approve this law, along with tax amendments, during its spring session.

Do you think the Russian parliament will adopt the mining law together with the other crypto legislation? Tell us in the comments section below.

Filed Under: bill, Bitcoin, crypto, crypto miners, crypto mining, Cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency, draft law, English, Law, Legislation, Miners, Mining, News Bitcoin, parliament, Regulation, Regulations, Russia, russian, State Duma

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