Clandestine Crypto Farms Discovered in Volgograd: Farmers Mask Mining Noise with Animal Sounds

In an unusual crackdown, power engineers from Rosseti-South and local police have uncovered three hidden cryptocurrency mining operations in the Gorodishchensky district of the Volgograd region. The operations were ingeniously concealed within agricultural settings, including a cowshed where miners simulated farm animal sounds to mask the noise of their equipment. Despite these creative efforts, specialists were able to detect the illegal use of electricity through advanced metering that identifies discrepancies in power usage, according to Bits.media.

The clandestine mining activities were found to consume approximately 800,000 kWh of electricity, amounting to over 3 million rubles in unpaid energy bills. This case of electricity theft has been taken over by the Department of Economic Security and Anti-Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Volgograd region for further investigation.

This incident highlights a growing trend in the region where individuals utilize sophisticated methods to siphon power for cryptocurrency mining. Such practices not only pose legal and economic challenges but also threaten the stability of local power grids. The discovery follows recent legal actions in the Chelyabinsk region, where individuals involved in a fictitious company selling mining equipment were sentenced to prison, signaling a tightening of regulations around cryptocurrency mining and energy theft.