Five-Year Mining Ban in Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Region: What Businesses Need to Know

2026-04-20 12:00 Legal Digest

Designed by Freepik

Starting April 1, 2026, a new government resolution comes into force extending the ban on cryptocurrency mining (including participation in mining pools) in the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory. The restrictions will remain in effect until March 15, 2031.

Who Is Affected by the Ban

The ban covers 19 districts of Buryatia, including the republic's capital, as well as 14 districts of the Trans-Baikal Territory, including the regional capital, Chita. Previously, these regions had seasonal restrictions (during peak electricity consumption periods). Now, a year-round ban has been established for five years.

Why the Restrictions Were Introduced

The main reason is to prevent electricity shortages. Mining is an extremely energy-intensive activity. According to estimates, miners consume a significant share of the country's total electricity, and in Siberia's power grids, the load from mining farms has reached critical levels, comparable to the consumption of large cities.

Risks for Mining Companies

Inability to operate legally in Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory — any organization conducting mining in these regions is violating the law.
Administrative and criminal liability — illegal mining carries fines of up to 2 million rubles and imprisonment for up to 5 years.
Economic losses — a significant portion of mining capacity in various regions could be affected, with total losses potentially reaching tens of billions of rubles.
Need to relocate operations to regions where mining is permitted or to develop own generation capacity.

The ban does not apply to territories for which confirmation of the absence of technological connection of power-receiving devices to the Unified Energy System of Russia has been obtained. Such confirmations are issued upon request by a person planning to conduct mining and included in the miners' register.

What Businesses Should Do

Mining companies operating in Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, and other restricted regions need to:

assess the current location of their facilities and their compliance with the law;
consider relocating operations to regions with electricity surplus (e.g., certain areas of the Irkutsk Region, where mining continues to develop);
if possible, transition to their own power generation;
stay informed about legislative changes, including the introduction of criminal liability for illegal mining.

How Acsour Can Help

Acsour experts are ready to:

advise on the legal regulation of mining in Russia;
help assess legal risks when operating in restricted regions;
support the process of inclusion in the miners' register.

Contact us — we will help you navigate the new rules and protect your mining business from risks.