Irkutsk Oblast in Russia may implement a year-round ban on cryptocurrency mining starting from April 1st

According to Cryptonews citing the Russian newspaper Businessman, Irkutsk Oblast, the largest Bitcoin mining hotspot in Russia, may ban all cryptocurrency mining activities for the entire year starting from April 1st. The ban will only apply to the southern region of Irkutsk Oblast in Siberia, but may continue until mid-2031. The media outlet Businessman, which has good relations with the Kremlin, stated that its sources revealed that the Russian government "may completely ban mining activities in the southern part of Irkutsk Oblast as early as April 1st". As the first Bitcoin mining center in Russia, the southern part of Irkutsk Oblast has multiple large mining centers that collectively consume approximately 650 megawatts of electricity. Industry insiders told the newspaper that a comprehensive ban would cause significant problems for these centers. They added that 'if a ban is implemented', they will be unable to take action 'because it will be difficult to connect to networks in other regions'. Many neighboring areas have also implemented winter cryptocurrency mining bans, which may leave miners with no choice but to relocate.