Russia Targets Underground Crypto Miners With Draft Law Introducing Jail Terms

The Russian Ministry of Justice has proposed introducing criminal sanctions, including imprisonment, for illegal cryptocurrency mining, according to draft amendments published on December 30 on the government’s portal of regulatory legal acts.

The proposals would amend the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. The latest move aims to formalize liability for mining digital currency outside the legal framework introduced last year. Under the draft, illegal mining could be punishable by a fine of up to 1.5 million rubles or forced labor for up to two years. Offenses involving especially large income or committed by an organized group could carry prison terms of up to five years.