Government Decree Targets Grid Stability Amid Rising Power Consumption Concerns
The government of Russia has signed Government Decree No. 936 on July 25, formally banning Bitcoin (BTC) mining and pool participation across Moscow, all of Moscow Oblast, eight municipal districts of Kursk Oblast, and the city of Lgov. Published on the official legal information portal on August 1, the restriction takes effect on August 15 and runs through the end of 2032.
The measure formalizes a proposal introduced by the Energy Ministry in late June, which warned that unrestrained year-round mining in these regions risked producing severe electricity shortages. According to Moscow Oblast energy minister Sergei Voropanov, crypto mining accounts for approximately one gigawatt (GW) of power consumption on the city’s grid. Voropanov projected that combined data center capacity in Moscow and Moscow Oblast could reach 3.6 GW by 2032, representing about 17% of the grid’s projected maximum load.
Parallel Regulatory Approaches and Legal Developments
The Moscow-region decree operates independently from Russia’s broader national framework for the mining industry. Under legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2024, commercial mining is permitted for companies and entrepreneurs listed on a government registry, while unregistered individuals are restricted to defined electricity consumption limits.
Furthermore, Russian authorities launched a national registry for mining equipment in July 2025 to monitor power usage, track operators, and strengthen tax enforcement.
The decree’s release followed a Russian court’s decision to move BitRiver founder Igor Runets from house arrest into pre-trial detention over fraud allegations involving an equipment deal with energy conglomerate En+. Additionally, the State Duma passed legislation last month that could allow regulated retail crypto trading while maintaining the ongoing ban on using crypto for domestic payments.
Together, these developments highlight Russia’s dual-track strategy of applying localized bans to safeguard grid stability in high-demand zones while simultaneously bringing commercial crypto operations under formal national oversight.
